Dental implants are among today’s modern approaches to dental perfection. An improved smile can improve your self-confidence and ability to chew, bite, and speak more easily. A dental implant is the only option for restoring teeth that fuse with the jaw bone and prevent bone loss.
Today, let us know more about dental implants, how they work, and the benefits one can get from them. Continue reading until the end and discover if these dental wonders can work for you.
What is a Dental Implant?
Dental implants are high-tech replacements for teeth mimicking the whole tooth structure. Known as a titanium “root,” it gets snugly inserted into the bone and supports a crown, bridge, or denture. It looks, feels, and acts like a natural tooth, lasting a lifetime if properly cared for and maintained.
Dental implant technology has become an innovation in tooth replacement solutions since it has advantages over earlier dental treatments. With modern innovations in dentistry nowadays, most patients can easily benefit from them – even those who were formerly told they could not.
Benefits and Advantages of Dental Implants
Dental implants behave like natural teeth.
One of the most significant advantages of dental implants is that they restore full chewing ability. Most people can’t tell the difference between their natural and implant teeth. They can eat entirely normally, and they can also brush and floss normally.
Dental implants can help keep your gums disease-free
Missing tooth gaps can act as traps for food and bacteria, leading to gum diseases.
Dental implants genuinely last for lifetimes.
Whereas dental bridges may only last around ten (10) years, more or less, dental implants can last for lifetimes. The dental implant is made from titanium that’s integrated with the jawbone. It’s bio-compatible, so it’s non-toxic and not rejected by our bodies. All in all, implants make a powerful replacement tooth.
Dental implants help prevent premature aging and facial sagging.
The sagging of the face can be an unwanted effect of bone loss caused by missing teeth. This event happens when the face’s lower third starts to collapse, then gradually closes the distance from the tip of the nose down to the chin. Changes can include but are not limited to thinning lips, excess wrinkles around the mouth, and a more pointed chin, making the person look much older than their actual age.
Dental implants stabilize adjacent teeth.
Gaps from missing teeth can cause adjacent teeth to shift crookedly toward the opening. It pulls the teeth out of position, affecting your bite, how you chew, and your appearance, too. It can result in interference that can make dental implants challenging later on. Poor bites can also lead to issues with your temporomandibular joint, or TMJs, and may result in pain and headaches.
Dental implants prevent bone loss.
Spaces in the jaw bone deteriorate because of the lack of stimulation with no tooth. If no implants are placed in the first year of losing teeth, those bone areas lose 25% of their volume, and bone loss only progresses over the following years.
For dentures, they can even accelerate bone loss since they usually become loose, then rub against the bony ridges, gradually wearing it away. Because an implant replaces the root and the tooth, chewing gets restored to normal and provides the needed stimulation for natural bone growth.
Dental Implants vs. Dentures
Stable teeth with good chewing power!
Dental implants offer far superior experiences compared to traditional dentures. Even dentures that initially fit the patient will begin to slip and become uncomfortable due to increased bone loss.
It’s challenging to continually maintain any denture as stable because of wear happening on the bony ridges where dentures clasp onto when installed. Most frustratingly, dentures, and the unhealthiest, are their poor and lackluster chewing ability. Many have limited their diets because they cannot chew certain foods with their dentures.
When deciding between traditional dentures or implant-supported restoration, you need to consider the following things.
- Dentures slip out while eating or speaking, while dental implants and implant-supported dentures get securely anchored and won’t indeed slip out.
- Dentures cover the roof of the mouth. With implants, nothing covers the top of the mouth, interfering with one’s sense of taste or other everyday activities. Also, implant-supported dentures can be fabricated without a palate.
- Dentures provide no stimulation needed for the prevention of bone loss. Jawbones need the stimulation of high-pressure chewings to keep their volume. Dental implants, on the other hand, ensure no jaw bone is lost.
- Dental implants possess full chewing power, and implant-supported bridges or dentures also considerably increase chewing power. It isn’t easy to chew with dentures, and you can only eat the little food you need or like. Dentures sometimes move while you chew, which is annoying and makes it difficult to chew! Generally, dentures have only 10% or less of full chewing power.
- Dentures have to be removed for cleaning. Except for removable implant-retained dentures, implant-supported restorations can be cared for by brushing and flossing.
- Dentures may also create clicking sounds while eating. Meanwhile, there’s no annoying clicking sound with dental implants or implant-supported dentures.
- Dentures often must be kept in the mouth using a dental adhesive. They sometimes require re-glues after meals. An implant-supported denture needs no bond.
- Progressive bone loss resulting from wearing dentures can eventually lead to facial collapse. Over time, bone loss can cause the failure of the face’s lower third and creates thinning lips, excessive wrinkles, sagging skin and jowls, and a sunken-in look. It can significantly age one’s appearance. Dental implants also contribute to bone loss prevention.
Dental Implants vs. Dental Bridges
Dental Implants are more affordable and natural replacements than dental bridges.
- Bridges consist of false teeth supported by adjacent teeth that have been capped. They are used to replace at least one or two missing teeth.
- Also, bridges require two (2) usually healthy teeth to be altered. It could be better for replacing missing teeth compared to dental implants. A bridge tends to have a short life, around five to ten (5-10) years, compared to a dental implant, which can last a lifetime. A bridge can sometimes be more economical at first, but a dental implant can cost you less in the long run.
Final Thoughts on Dental Implants
Dental implants are permanent replacements for lost teeth, making them cost-effective options in the long run. Also, they are suitable investments for those who want to prevent dental problems in the future.
Are you interested in experiencing dental implants? Our wonderful friends at Access Oral Surgery can help you today.
