Top 7 Benefits of Dental Implants You Need To Know

Losing your natural tooth is indeed a devastating experience. The lasting effects are even worse to your oral health. If an empty socket is left for too long, it can present harmful effects. For instance, due to lack of stimulation on the gap, the jawbone tends to thin or weaken.

Facial sagging, shifting of the adjacent teeth, and impaired ability to speak and chew are other negative effects of a missing tooth. For these reasons, any dentist will tell you to replace a missing tooth as quickly as possible.

Luckily, replacing a missing tooth is easy and straightforward. You have the option of using dentures, dental implants, and bridges. Compared to bridges and dentures, implants offer the best solutions to missing teeth. They offer more strength, stability and can serve you for a lifetime.

If you’re considering dental implants, we will help you understand what implants are, their eligibility, and the numerous benefits they offer.

What are Dental Implants?

Basically, dental implants are restorative treatments for missing teeth. Implants feature a titanium rod that is surgically attached to the jawbone of the missing tooth. Unlike dentures and bridges, implants don’t require tooth shaping or support from the adjacent teeth.

Since the implant is fixed into the jawbone, they bond with the jawbone, offering a natural tooth’s stability, strength, and bite function. This also makes them permanent. If well cared for, they can serve you for a lifetime.

Who’s Eligible for Dental Implants?

Are you wondering whether you’re qualified for dental implant surgery? If you have healthy gums and bones, most likely, you will qualify for the procedure. You can also have a dental implant treatment if you don’t have enough jawbone. However, you will have to undergo bone grafting first. Bone grafting seeks to repair and rebuild the lost bone and takes approximately six months.

To know for sure whether you’re qualified for implant surgery, you should see your dentist for an dental examination and cleaning. The dentist will evaluate your dental condition and guide you accordingly.

Benefits of Dental Implants

If you’re given the green light to the dental implant procedure, here are seven benefits that you will enjoy:

1. They Prevent Jawbone Loss

One of the key effects of a missing tooth is jawbone deterioration. During the first year of tooth extraction, approximately 25% of the jawbone is lost, and it continues. The more bone is lost, the worse the condition gets.

For instance, the bone loss causes your face to sag and may prevent you from qualifying for dental implant surgery. By replacing the roots of the missing tooth, the jawbone is stimulated, encouraging jawbone growth.

2. Implants Look, Function, and Feel Like the Natural Tooth

The idea behind dental implants is to make them as natural as possible. Once the implant has bonded with the jawbone, it will look, feel, and function as a natural tooth. You can chew your favorite foods and speak confidently without having to worry about the implant falling off or slipping. With alternative treatment such as dentures, the stability and strength of the restoration isn’t as strong and can slip when exposed to high pressure.

3. Restores Your Smile and Oral Appearance

Smiling or speaking with a gap in your mouth may not be ideal. An implant can restore your oral appearance and give you a natural and broader smile. Similarly, it supports your face, preventing it from changing shape or sagging.

4. Implants Don’t Get Cavities

If you had lost your tooth to cavities, you don’t have to worry about the implant developing cavities. While the implant still needs to be cared for to prevent plaque and bacteria build-up in the mouth, the implant material can’t decay. However, the other teeth can still get cavities, so overall proper dental care and hygiene are still essential.

5. Keeps the Adjacent Teeth in Position

Teeth shifting is a common problem of living with an empty socket. Gradually, the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth start to shift or move towards the gap, causing misalignment. An implant can help to keep the teeth in their position.

6. Improves Your Oral Health

Brushing with a gap in your mouth may not be effective. By getting an implant, you’ll be able to brush and floss normally, promoting your oral hygiene and health.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that implants don’t require tooth shaping or support from the adjacent teeth. Teeth shaping and supporting frameworks can weaken those teeth, leading to other problems. Keeping your healthy teeth untouched during the treatment maintains your oral health.

7. Low maintenance

Caring for an implant is straightforward. Once the dental implant heals, you must maintain proper dental care and hygiene. No special toothpaste or oral products are required. To care for your implants and other oral structures:

• Brush at least twice a day
• Floss regularly
• Schedule at least two appointments per year with your dentist
• Eat healthier and hydrate well
• Avoid damaging habits such as smoking and opening things with your mouth
• Avoid sugary foods and beverages to prevent cavities

Schedule an Appointment Today With Our Dentist in Quincy

Are you looking for tooth implant services, or would you like to learn more about dental implants? Contact Quincy Dental Associates today to book your dentist appointment.