Why People Get Dental Implants to Replace Missing Teeth?

Restoration of Chewing Function

Dental implants are known to improve the chewing function. Dental implants provide a very firm and fixed foundation for the new teeth, also known as crowns. This means the chewing function can be improved by replacing a missing tooth or teeth. Dental bridges that are anchored to dental implants can be the best option for permanent, stable and fixed bridges to replace missing teeth. Traditional dentures are sometimes loose and can affect a patient’s ability to chew. When dentures are anchored to dental implants, the chewing function can be significantly improved. However, it is important to note that the restoration of the chewing function varies depending on what type of dental implant a patient has. For instance, if a patient is wearing removable dentures, they would need to be taken out and cleaned every day. This means the ability to chew can be affected because people with removable dentures cannot eat hard foods like nuts and certain vegetables. Such lifestyle limitations do not exist for patients who have removable bridges anchored to dental implants. This is because the dental implants provide a higher degree of stability to the bridges, hence allowing patients to chew properly and eat most food types.

Improving Speech Clarity

Dental implants are also used to improve speech clarity. When people are missing teeth, it is difficult to speak without making clicking sounds or whistling. In addition, it is difficult to maintain a natural, clear voice. Many sounds are formed by the tongue touching the teeth in various locations, so it is not surprising that people who are missing teeth have more difficulty making these sounds. Plosives are sounds such as t, d, and n. These sounds require the tongue to press against the hard palate of the mouth, just behind the upper front teeth. For people who are missing some or all of their upper teeth, it becomes difficult to articulate these sounds. Dental implants can restore missing teeth, thus restoring the way that sounds are formed. By replacing teeth, the dental implant procedure can dramatically improve patients’ pronunciation and overall speech clarity.

Maintaining Facial Structure & Bone Loss

Facial bone is formed and maintained by the pressure and stimulus provided by the roots of natural teeth. When teeth are lost, the bone that used to surround those teeth melts away. This process is called bone resorption. When bone in the jaw melts away, it can cause the face to change shape and look older. The shape of the mouth and position of remaining teeth can also be affected. This can lead to problems with the teeth in the opposite jaw which may start to bite into the gum. Dental implants can slow or stop this process by providing the bone with the required stimulation to maintain its form and density. Placing dental implants as soon as a tooth is lost will help to prevent bone loss at that site. This is particularly important in areas of the mouth where the teeth are visible and can be lost through trauma, gum disease or decay. However, leaving the site for too long may result in loss of the surrounding bone making it difficult or even impossible to place a dental implant at a later stage. Dental x-rays may be needed to derive this bone loss over time.Bone loss can impact not only the look and functionality of your mouth but also the cost of your dental implants. Overcoming bone loss with dental implants is possible, but may require extra surgical procedures and careful treatment planning.

To Boost Self-Esteem

There are endless studies and research that link high self-esteem to happiness and success in life. By giving people the freedom to smile and laugh without worry or embarrassment, dental implants can truly change their lives. In fact, dental surgeons who specialize in implant procedures often talk about this profound effect that their work has on their patients. It cannot be underestimated just how much of a positive impact dental implants can have on a person’s wellbeing. This is why it is very important to get dental implant treatment from a specially trained dental team which has experience and a track record in this area of dentistry. Also, it is very important that we keep our dental implants clean as failure to do this can lead to a problem called peri-implantitis. This is when the gum around the base of the implant becomes inflamed. If left untreated, peri-implantitis can cause the bone around the implant to shrink away. In the long term, this may lead to the loss of the implant. To prevent this condition from occurring, it is vital to clean our implants and our mouths properly. A well-trained dental hygienist or dentist will be able to show us the best methods of keeping our implants clean and will be able to give us advice tailored to our needs. With the right care, attention and maintenance, dental implants can last for many years. This means that, in the long-term, they may be more cost-effective than some of the other options. It is also important to have regular dental check-ups and visits to the hygienist to ensure that our teeth and gums are kept healthy. So, maintenance of your dental health has a positive impact and, besides ensuring well-being and confidence, has a tremendous bearing on the reduction of future dental costs. All smiles are pretty. But, as well as giving us back our ability to smile and laugh with ease, it is this restoration of our natural good looks that is perhaps the greatest single benefit to have dental implants. Our appearance will be improved by getting dental implants. This is because they are designed to blend in with our other teeth. In fact, they are undetectable as they look, feel and function exactly like natural teeth. And no one may be able to tell the difference. Well, everyone who has made the decision to have them will say the same thing – that there is no need to feel so self-conscious now and that they wish they had done it years ago. So, getting dental implants not only can improve our overall oral health and appearance but also can give us the smile and self-confidence back for life.

Improving Oral Health and Overall Wellbeing

Dental implants can help to improve oral health in a variety of ways. For example, they can prevent bone deterioration and loss, which occurs when teeth are missing. This bone loss can give the face a sunken appearance and also contribute to the loosening or misalignment of other teeth. Implants provide the stimulation that is needed to prevent this from occurring. What’s more, the materials used in the manufacture of implants are generally accepted by the body. That means that providing the patient has undergone the procedure in a clean and professional environment and that they have been seen by a suitable clinician, the body should not reject the implant. This is a serious consideration – most materials placed in the human body will prompt an immune response, which is a natural response of the body to a foreign material as it tries to wall off and remove it. Because of its unique property to fuse to bone, the placement of dental implants is a procedure that is classified as « osteoinductive », which means that it encourages bone to form around it. As implant treatment is now considered to be the gold standard tooth replacement solution, more and more patients are requesting it. Patients’ overall wellbeing can be improved with the psychological effect of its enhancement of quality of life. For example, patients will be able to eat any food they desire, be free of any possible denture pain, be free of denture fixatives and at the same time, be free of possible denture embarrassment. For teeth that are difficult to clean, for example, a bridge with teeth on either side, implants may provide a more effective option and are also a more cost-effective long-term solution. Finally, for people who suffer from tooth loss, there may be a consequence to the mental health as well as the obvious physical damage. Patients can suffer from social isolation and depression because of embarrassment and anxiety of their situation. However, having teeth replaced  by whatever means – can dramatically improve a patient’s social confidence, and of course, implants are the only solution that completely replaces a tooth and addresses all these possible issues.

For Better Comfort and Convenience

Because they are fixed onto the jaw, unlike dentures, dental implants are comfortable and provide a permanent solution to tooth loss. Dentures can be uncomfortable, irritating the gums. Also, dental implants are more convenient than dentures. You do not have to take them out every night and clean them. You do not have to remove them to put in fixatives or for cleaning, and you do not have to take them out when you eat. Dental implants also remove the inconvenience of having to put them in a glass of water overnight. Being able to eat without having to remove them is a major advantage over dentures. By eliminating the movement of the denture during eating, favorite foods can be eaten more easily and adapting to the denture is not necessary. Placing dental implants does not involve cutting down the teeth in the mouth, as the replacement tooth is made to fit the space around the implant. This benefits the long-term health of the teeth because they are not weakened by the pressure of the dentures. Also, because the implant and the crown, bridge or denture placed on it are independent, it is much easier to maintain excellent oral hygiene. As access is no problem, dental health is maintained. This is not necessarily the case with bridges and especially partial dentures, which cause additional cleaning challenges and do not always allow easy access for cleaning teeth. Patients report great satisfaction with dental implants, particularly with respect to the comfort they provide. All patients who have had dental implants can eat the foods that they want without any problems, something they may not have been able to do with partial or full dentures. Dental implants improve your comfort and therefore your self-esteem when eating, speaking, and laughing. They give you back your confidence.

To Protect their Adjacent Natural Teeth

Now, if you’re missing a tooth, then this gap can cause the surrounding teeth to lean into the gap and alter the way in which your top and bottom teeth bite together. It can also make food and plaque get trapped between the gap, which can cause decay in the surrounding teeth. Failing to replace a missing tooth can cause a range of problems over time. For example, a tooth that’s moved may need to be removed, and if you don’t replace the teeth, you could end up with a large space and inability to have a bridge or dental implants. This could then limit your choice in treatment options. A gap can also mean that your other teeth have to take more of the strain and, as a result, these other teeth can start to become loose and fall out as well. So that’s why dental implants are a recommended treatment option for replacing a missing tooth. The alternative options to dental implants are dentures and bridges. However, there are problems with these treatment options that dental implants don’t have. For example, dentures are often loose and can cause embarrassment. And bridges require the teeth next to the gap to be ground down. This means that these teeth may become damaged in the future, so you’d need a repeated bridge. And even with a bridge, the bone where the gap is will shrink and deteriorate over time, which doesn’t happen with a dental implant.

Looking for a Long-Lasting Solution

In the past, the only way you could replace a missing tooth – or teeth – was with a fixed bridge or removable dentures. And, while these are still common options, bridges require a lot of healthy tooth to be removed in order to secure the new, false tooth in place, while dentures are often not very stable and can affect what you can eat and your speech. However, dental implants offer a modern alternative to bridges and dentures. By providing a fixed solution, implants offer far greater stability and can in many cases be a more effective long-term answer. And as the only fixed alternative to bridges, they can help to prevent the bone resorption that’s unfortunately associated with losing teeth. This leads to a better, healthier and happier smile for the long term. Dental implants are suitable for most adults with good general health. They can only be used once the jawbone has stopped growing and so are not used with younger patients. There is no upper age limit for treatment, so whether you’re in your 40s or your 80s and you have one, several or even all your teeth missing, there could be a solution for you. However, before any treatment is planned, a detailed examination will be carried out to assess the condition of your mouth and jawbone, and to work out the best option for you. Implant treatment is usually carried out under local anaesthetic, and patients find that the procedure causes less discomfort than having a tooth removed. As your own teeth and gums must be healthy in order to have an implant, I would need to ensure I follow a good oral health care routine and have regular check-ups with dentist and dental team.