Dental implants are one of the most effective tooth replacement options. They look, feel and function like your natural teeth, offer a long-term solution to tooth loss and are a healthy choice for your mouth.
They also prevent other dental health concerns from developing, such as bone loss and gum disease. They can help you maintain a beautiful smile, regain your confidence and improve your quality of life.
They Look and Feel Like Your Natural Teeth
Dental implants are a tooth replacement option that aims to mimic your natural teeth in every way possible. Unlike dentures, which typically feel unnatural and take some time to get used to, dental implants are comfortable, look great, and function like your natural teeth.
There are three things that contribute to the natural feel of dental implants: their structure, the implant procedure, and the healing process. These factors help the implant feel more like a natural tooth than other tooth replacement options, including traditional dentures and bridges.
During the implant procedure, posts are surgically inserted into your jaw bone. These posts fuse to your existing bone and eventually become firmly anchored in place. This fusion prevents the implant from shifting and moving while providing stimulation to your jawbone.
Because these posts have a titanium “root” that mimics the natural root structure of your tooth, they feel more natural than other tooth replacement options. They also provide more stability when it comes to chewing, so you can enjoy foods that you may have struggled to eat with traditional dental restorations.
The crown that is placed on top of the implant is a beautiful tooth-colored replacement that looks just like your real tooth. It is crafted by a ceramist who uses dental ceramics to match the shade and translucence of your natural tooth.
These dental restorations are so lifelike that most people cannot tell the difference between your replacement teeth and your real teeth. This can be a huge benefit when it comes to your self-esteem and confidence. Moreover, the fact that your replacement teeth are so natural-looking can also make you more comfortable when eating and talking.
They Prevent Bone Loss
Dental implants not only replace missing teeth but they also prevent bone loss. After a tooth is lost, the jawbone loses its ability to absorb force and stimulate the bone, which can cause it to become weak.
This process, called bone resorption, is a gradual one that doesn’t occur overnight. But the sooner you replace a missing tooth with a dental implant, the better off you’ll be.
In fact, dental implants are the only tooth replacement option that preserves and stimulates the bone. As a result, the bone surrounding your missing tooth continues to grow around the titanium implant and strengthens it, strengthening the jawbone in the process.
Other restorative options like bridges and dentures don’t transfer force to the bone in the area of a missing tooth, which can lead to bone loss in the jaw. This bone loss can affect your bite and smile, as well as the structure of your face.
However, if you have been missing a tooth for a long time and the bone has weakened, a special procedure called bone regeneration can help restore the jaw bone to a healthy state. This is done by surgically placing artificial bone or a piece of animal bone over the weakened area and allowing it to heal.
Once the new bone fuses with the metal post of the implant, it forms a strong base for the crown to secure on top of. This makes the implant and its crown look and feel like natural teeth.
They Prevent Your Healthy Teeth From Shifting
When you have a tooth missing, the surrounding teeth begin to shift out of place. This can lead to problems with chewing, bite alignment, and the fit of partials or dentures. In addition, a gap left behind by missing teeth can make you more susceptible to gum disease and tooth decay.
Dental implants prevent this shifting and help keep you from experiencing these common oral health issues. In fact, they can even improve your quality of life.
In addition, they help to stimulate your jaw bone tissue and prevent it from resorbing (the process by which it loses density) as it would with natural teeth. Without this stimulation, your jawbone could start to deteriorate or even collapse in on itself.
Unlike removable prosthetics, which rest on top of your gums, dental implants are directly embedded into your jawbone. This makes them a great tooth replacement option because they act much like your natural tooth root to put pressure on the bone tissue, keeping it healthy and strong.
Furthermore, dental implants can also serve as anchors for a bridge or partial denture. They replace the missing tooth’s roots, helping the prosthetic remain in place for a long time.
Another important function that dental implants have is the ability to help you maintain a healthy diet. Missing teeth can make it difficult to chew hard foods, which means you may be depriving yourself of valuable nutrients.
However, with dental implants in place, you can easily enjoy all of the fresh fruits and vegetables that you once had the opportunity to chew. Not only that, but a complete smile is more attractive and will enhance your confidence in social situations.
They Restore Full Chewing Power
Implant-supported restorations can provide up to 70 to 90 percent of your natural chewing power.
If you are missing one or more teeth, dental implants are the most natural tooth replacement option available and provide a lifelike alternative to traditional dentures.
Implant-supported teeth look and feel like your real teeth, and they provide the full chewing power you need to eat and speak without difficulty. They also prevent bone loss in the area of the missing tooth and promote healthier jaw function.
When you lose a tooth, the space left by it can destabilize adjacent teeth. This causes the other teeth to shift toward the empty space, which can negatively affect your bite and cause issues with chewing and jaw joint disorders.
Regular dentures accelerate bone loss as they slip and rub against the bony ridges that anchor them in place, gradually wearing them away over time.
Your dentist or oral surgeon will surgically insert the titanium post into the bone of your jaw, where it will fuse with it over time via a process called osseointegration. Over the next several months, your bone will grow around the implant and support it as it heals.
Depending on the type of restoration you choose, implants can provide up to 70 to 90 percent of natural chewing power and help maintain healthy jaw function. With these benefits, they are a highly recommended tooth replacement option for patients of all ages and all health conditions.
They Can Improve Your Appearance
Besides being the best tooth replacement option, dental implants are also a great way to improve your appearance. They are a natural-looking tooth replacement solution that looks and feels like your own teeth, and they can be matched to blend in with the rest of your smile.
A missing tooth can have a negative impact on your appearance, and when it’s severe, it can affect the shape of your face. Over time, if a tooth is missing, the jaw bone can lose density and shrink. This deterioration can lead to facial collapse, resulting in wrinkles and a sagging mouth.
Dental implants can preserve bone and prevent this deterioration, which is crucial to improving your appearance. They also help to correct a sunken mouth, and can lift your cheekbones and face in general, giving you a tighter and firmer look.
You can have dental implants at any age, and they can reduce the early signs of aging. Resorption of the jawbone is a common problem that occurs with tooth loss, and once you get implants, they will stimulate your jaw bone to stop this process from occurring.
Another benefit of implants is that they are a long-term tooth replacement option. As long as you keep your implant-supported crown and gum tissue clean, they will last a lifetime.
To maintain your new dental implant, it’s important to continue to brush and floss your teeth, and visit your dentist regularly for professional cleanings. You should also avoid foods and drinks that can damage your dental implant and erode the surrounding tissue. It’s also a good idea to follow the advice of your doctor for preventing dental problems, such as periodontal disease, which can impact the health and longevity of your implants.