As we age, many of us will experience tooth loss. To some, it’s no big deal, but to most people, this can have a negative effect on their appearance and their day to day living.
There are typically three options when it comes to tooth loss: dental implants, dentures and bridges. This article goes over the details of each and explains why we believe dental implants are the best route for most people.
Dentures
If you’re not ready to switch to soups and pureed food, there are several options for those who lost their teeth. One option is dentures, which are fake teeth that are applied with an adhesive to the gums of your mouth.
Individuals using dentures have to deal with the sticky and often messy adhesive as well as the inconvenience of removing and replacing the dentures each day. Dentures often interfere with day to day activities such as eating and speaking.
Bridges
Another option is a bridge. In this procedure, false teeth are attached to the natural teeth. Despite their natural appearance, bridges affect the health of natural teeth and cause pain to the gums. The natural tooth is ground down so the false tooth can be cemented to the healthy tooth.
Dental Implants
A third option is dental implants which is a small titanium piece that replaces the natural root of the missing tooth. A white cap is placed over the titanium piece to make it look like a natural tooth.
Benefits of Dental Implants
In general, there are many benefits of an implant, and overall they are more effective than the other options. Individuals with implants do not experience any of the problems mentioned above with dentures and bridges.
Dental implants also help individuals avoid deteriorated jaw bones and loss of self-esteem. Due to the fact that teeth and your bones make up the majority of a person’s facial structure, tooth loss can cause the cheekbones and upper lip to sink inward. When teeth are missing, the body senses that the jaw bone is not needed in that area and sends minerals to another area of the body. This makes the jawbone deteriorate slowly, causing the lower half of the face to have a shriveled appearance. Dental implants help maintain facial structure.
The benefits of implanted teeth can have a positive impact on an individual’s life. Not only are they a long-term investment, typically lasting the span of an individual’s lifetime, they also look and feel like natural teeth. They are also relatively easy to care for since the requirements are standard brushing and flossing just like natural teeth.
Call Mountain High Family Dental & Orthodontics today to schedule a consultation. Financing plans are available! (435) 602-7974