How Dental Implants Protect Oral Health
by Dr. Scott Bolding | Dec. 21, 2021
Dental Implants Protect Your Oral Health
There are many benefits to choosing dental implants to replace your missing teeth. They can help give you more confidence to no longer be ashamed of your smile. You’ll be able to eat whatever you want. Not to mention, they’re built to last for the rest of your life. In short, dental implants are what you need to get your life back to normal.
But you may not realize that dental implants protect your oral health. When your teeth fall out or are extracted, the rest of your mouth is at risk for disease, infections, and bone loss. Missing teeth can also impact your bite, which can lead to other problems long-term.
How do dental implants protect your oral health? Dental implants, unlike dentures and bridges, function like your natural teeth. That means they take on the role of the teeth they’re replacing. Dental implants help promote the health of your jaw bone, protect your mouth from infection, and keep the rest of your teeth in place. This makes dental implants one of the best options for replacing missing teeth. Ultimately, dental implants help keep your mouth healthy.
Dental Implants Promote Jaw Bone Health
One of the biggest ways dental implants protect your oral health is by promoting the health of your jaw bone. The roots of your natural teeth work with your jaw to stimulate the process of replacing old bone with new bone. This process is essential for keeping your jaw strong and healthy. When a tooth falls out or is extracted, it leaves a hole and the bone replacement process stops.
Over time, the jaw bone becomes weak and can break easily. A weakened jaw bone can also lead to more tooth loss as your jaw is no longer able to serve as an anchor for your teeth.
Dentures and bridges don’t solve this issue because they sit above the gum line. Implants, by contrast, are embedded into your jaw, fuse to the bone, and stimulate bone growth.
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Dental Implants Keep Your Teeth From Shifting
Missing teeth can have a long-term impact on your bite. Over time, the rest of your teeth will shift to try to fill in the gap. These changes in your bite make it hard for you to chew properly, forcing your jaw to work harder. This can lead to many issues, including TMJ disorders.
You may also experience a super eruption. A super eruption happens when the tooth opposite the missing tooth starts to extract itself to fill in the gap. The roots of the super-erupted tooth then become exposed and can start to decay. Eventually, these teeth will begin to fall out as well.
Dental implants fill in the gaps in your smile so that the rest of your teeth can stay in place.
Dental Implants Protect Your Teeth and Gums
Missing teeth leave a hole in your smile. Along with affecting your confidence, this hole leaves the rest of your teeth and gums open to disease and infection. Without the missing teeth next to them, your other teeth can start to develop cavities. The open socket also leaves your gums exposed, which can lead to infections. Dental implants protect your oral health by filling in that gap.
Dentures and bridges can help a little bit because they make it harder for bacteria and food to get into your gums. But they don’t fill the gap and promote oral health the way dental implants do.
Dental Implants Keep Your Mouth Healthy for Years to Come
Choosing dental implants to replace missing teeth has a lot of benefits. They look and function like your natural teeth. That means you get your smile and your life back. You can eat the things you want and smile with confidence.
Dental implants protect your oral health as well. They help stimulate jaw bone growth and keep the rest of your teeth in place. And finally, they protect your gums from infection and disease. Dental implants keep your mouth healthy for decades after you lose your natural teeth, ensuring that you can continue to smile with confidence for the rest of your life.