The continuous progress of dentistry has offered us one of the biggest innovations in dental healthcare: dental implants.
They offer quality-of-life improvements to those in need of dental replacements and provide added advantages over earlier treatments.
So today, let’s get to know what they are and the 10 benefits of dental implants in case you plan on getting them.
What is a Dental Implant?
Let’s start from the top. Dental implants are technological replacements for real teeth. These implants mimic the structure of a natural human tooth, not just in appearance but in practice as well.
Dental implants consist of crowns, bridges, or dentures supported by a titanium foundation, known as a “root.” This root is inserted into the jawbone to give the implant complete stability, and they work as a substitute for natural tooth roots.
With proper care, a well-placed dental implant can last a lifetime.
Dental implant technology has become the state-of-the-art tooth replacement solution because of its advantages over earlier treatments. And, with modern innovations in dentistry, most patients can benefit from them – even those who were formerly told they could not.
Who Is Eligible For Dental Implants?
Modern medical science has made implant-supported dentures so accessible that even if you were formerly told you couldn’t reap the benefits of implants, now you can do so with proper professional consultations.
If you have one or more teeth that are broken or decayed beyond repair, you can be considered eligible for dental implants. Many face tooth loss every year worldwide due to periodontal diseases or injuries.
If you already have a partial denture, a full denture, or a bridge, you can also be considered eligible for implants since they can improve the overall quality of your current implants drastically.
Many times in the past, people have been denied dental implants due to having certain health conditions and habits or for having insufficient bone. Thanks to modern diagnostics and bone reconstruction technology, the restriction was lifted long ago, making dental implants accessible to a broader range of patients.
10 Benefits Of Dental Implants That You Should Know
Now that we know what dental implants are and the criteria for being eligible, here are 10 benefits of dental implants that you need to know.
Benefit #1: Dental Implants Restore Your Chewing Power
With traditional dentures, it can often be very tough to chew food, as dentures can cause frequent slippages if a person tries to put more pressure while chewing.
With dental implants, you have complete control over your chewing power since the root ensures that your implants are set into your jawbones firmly, re-enacting the chewing power of healthy teeth.
Benefit #2: Dental Implants Improve Your Speech
If a denture isn’t fit properly, it can often slip when the mouth moves. It can cause you to mumble or slur your words, which can make for an uncomfortable scenario.
With dental implants, you can rest assured that your teeth are in the right place and speak freely without the additional stress of facing denture slippage.
Benefit #3: Dental Implants Last Much Longer Than Dentures
Dental bridges or dentures have a lifespan of around ten years. But with dental implants, you don’t have to worry about the implant decaying away or damaging your jaw in any way.
The titanium root ensures that the implants stay on no matter what. Since all the elements of dental implants are bio-compatible, you can rest assured that they’ll behave just like natural teeth.
Benefit #4: Dental Implants Help You Prevent Bone Loss
If there are no replacement teeth, tooth roots, or implants to keep the jaw bone stimulated, the jaw bone in the empty space where the tooth used to be starts to deteriorate slowly.
If the empty space is left blank for a year right after a tooth loss without placing any implant or a false tooth, the bone area of the open space loses 25% of its bone mass in the beginning, with continuous losses over the years.
Dentures are not a good solution in this case since the dentures can often become loose and rub against the bony ridge. This deteriorates the bone area over time by wearing it down from friction.
When an implant is placed with a well-placed titanium post, the replacement provides the stimulation needed for bone growth by enabling you to chew with more power.
Benefit #5: Dental Implants Help Maintain Ideal Teeth Positioning
When you have a missing tooth, and the gap persists, nearby teeth can start shifting towards the opening to fill it up, causing the teeth to become crooked and misshapen.
These misshaped teeth can not only affect your chewing and appearance, but they can also make tooth replacement near impossible in later stages.
Benefit #6: Dental Implants Can Help Prevent Gum Diseases
When you have a tooth gap, there’s a higher chance of small bits of food getting stuck in said gap, which can cause bacteria to form. In the worst-case scenario, the bacteria can lead to gum disease.
As a safety precaution, it’s in your best interest to fill up tooth gaps with proper dental implants as soon as possible.
Benefit #7: Dental Implants Don’t Get Cavities
Since dental implants are made out of elements that cannot decay, you don’t have to worry about cavities in your mouth once you are set with your implants.
If you don’t have cavities, you have lesser chances of bacteria forming in your gums and teeth. Though artificial teeth still need maintenance to keep them clean of germs, the added benefit of not having to worry about cavities is a blessing.
Benefit #8. Dental Implants Help Prevent Bone Loss Related Side Effects
There are quite a few harmful side effects of bone loss, and one of the most common unwanted side effects is facial sagging.
Facial sagging is a consequence of bone loss, which causes the lower third of the face to collapse. It can also put extra wrinkles around your mouth, thin out your lips, and make your chin look more pointed. These effects can make you look a lot older than you really are.
Since empty tooth gaps can lead to facial sagging, and dentures only speed up the process of bone loss, dental implants are the safest bet for you to approach.
Benefit #9: Dental Implants Have A High Success Rate
The success of a dental implant mainly depends on the location of the jaw where the implant is placed. But even then, dental implants have an astounding rate of success, coming at a 98%.
Once the dental implants have been installed, the healing process can last from six to twelve weeks, at which time you can resume regular activities, even better than traditional dentures before it.
Benefit #10: Dental Implants Are Low-Maintenance
Dental implants don’t require any special products to clean or maintain them since they follow a natural tooth structure. You can care for them just by brushing and flossing regularly, like a regular set of teeth.
You can use the same products you would use for regular dental care and get the exact same results with implant-supported teeth—no worries about tooth decay or cavities.
Wrapping It All Up
Dental implants are a total game-changer for oral health. With proper medical consultation and care, a dental implant is one of the most advanced and preferred dental treatment options. So What are you waiting for? Ask your local dentist if dental implants are the best choice for you, we are prepared to bet the answer will be yes! Book a consultation and get ready to see your smile again in the mirror.