Losing a tooth is something that can happen to anybody. Whether it is through a traumatic injury, a minor accident or even gum disease, the loss of teeth can affect your overall health. Some people tend to assume that missing teeth only affect their appearance; hence, they may not bother about getting them replaced. However, tooth loss can have adverse effects such as creating chewing problems, misalignment of your remaining teeth and more. This is why it prudent to seek out tooth replacement options from your dentist. One of the options that is gaining in popularity is dental implants. The following are some of the little known benefits of opting for dental implants.
Dental implants will preserve your appearance
When it comes to oral health, most people tend to consider oral diseases as their main threat. Although oral diseases are a common culprit, your oral health can also be compromised by missing teeth. When your natural teeth are missing, you will find that stimulation in that part of the jawbone will decrease. This in turn leads to bone growth becoming compromised and it begins to dissolve as the minerals it would have received are being redirected to other areas of your body.
If the tooth loss is significant, you may find that the gradual bone loss could eventually lead to facial collapse. These are characterised by the lips folding into the mouth into the crevice being created, and can have a negative effect on your overall appearance. By opting for dental implants, you are ensuring that your jawbone is still being stimulated. This prevents the risk of having to undergo facial reconstruction down the road.
Dental implants will preserve your natural teeth
Another little known benefit of dental implants is that they preserve the structure of your natural teeth. This is not the case with some other tooth replacement options. For instance, some individuals may opt to have tooth-supported bridges installed instead in an attempt to save on the cost of tooth replacement. However, with tooth-supported bridges, a healthy tooth will have to be ground down to create space for the crown that will be used to hold the bridge.
Another tooth replacement option like partial dentures requires the use of metallic clasps that will be hooked onto the teeth adjacent to the gap. These metallic clasps can also cause damage over time to the healthy teeth. Since dental implants are installed directly onto your jawbone, you will not have to worry about them affecting any healthy teeth.
Share22 September 2016
When I had my first child, I was a nervous wreck. Every book I read gave different advice, and I just wanted to be right! By the time I had my third child, some of the stress had abated. I now realised, there were tons of different perspectives on everything related to raising children including dentistry. To help parents, I have created this blog dedicated to unraveling dental myths about children. I am including posts that weigh both sides of issues such as thumb sucking, dental caries, breastfeeding, flossing and any other topic I can think of. I hope you find the information you need to unravel dental myths, but most importantly, I hope you find some peace of mind. With kids and dentistry, there can be more than one right answer, and I want you to be able to relax and go with the answer that's right for you.
