Importance of Dental Implants

Importance of Dental Implants

Unfortunately, 19 percent of adults aged 65 and older were edentulous in 2011-2012 [1]. Whereas, an estimated 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth [2] The fact is, tooth loss is becoming increasingly prevalent. Luckily, there are ways to combat the negative impact of tooth loss. The main cause of tooth loss is dental decay or gum disease. Luckily, the innovations in dental implants and other dental technology have made it a viable option for those to replace missing teeth. Below, you will learn exactly why dental implants are so important.

Reasons Dental Implants Are Important:

1. Prevent Further Bone Loss

Unfortunately, when you lose a tooth in your jaw, it causes your jaw to change. The result is bone loss in your jaw in the exact location you lost your tooth. After all, the bone no longer has to support your tooth. Thus, even some of the other tooth replacement options aren't going to address this. With a dental implant, it is infused with your jaw in the original position of your missing tooth. As a result, your jaw treats it like a natural tooth and it can prevent the jaw from losing bone density because of it. Being able to prevent further bone loss in your jaw is a major benefit that shouldn't go unnoticed.

2. Better Function

A dental implant is going to offer much more practical function compared to other options. For instance, with dentures, you would need to change the way you eat and the foods you eat. Whereas, a dental implant is so structurally sound that you will be able to chew and eat the foods like you normally would. Dental implants can put you in a spot that is closest to what it would be like having never lost the tooth.

3. Improves Self Confidence

Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you. Because of this, any changes or negative alterations to your smile is going to negatively impact your self-confidence. By having implants that can effectively help you maintain the same aesthetic appearance with your smile, you should be able to avoid having negative consequences to your self-confidence. Implants will help you restore your smile to what it once was.

4. Reduce Negative Impact On Other Surrounding Teeth

With bridges and dentures, you will be relying on the surrounding teeth to offer the support it needs. Because of this, it can end up wearing down your supporting teeth. This can result in much more stress being placed on your supporting teeth which can end up causing you to have to deal with even more dental problems because of it. Likewise, it won't cause you to have to worry about grinding down supporting teeth for conventional bridgework.

5. Easier To Maintain

Dentures and other options like bridges are going to be much more difficult to maintain. By using dental implants, you will be able to get something that is much easier to clean and easier to maintain. This is going to help you keep your dental health including your gums as optimal as possible.

As you can see, there are plenty of different reasons dental implants have become so important. They are the single best option to help those who have missing teeth. They offer numerous benefits that make them a superior option to the rest of the treatments that could be considered. While implants are certainly a much more costly treatment, they are superior in just about every regard. They are the best option if you want to maintain optimal dental health going forward.

References:

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db197.htm

[2] https://www.prosthodontics.org/assets/1/7/ACP_Talking_points_for_Missing_Teeth_1-12-15.pdf