DO DENTAL IMPLANTS BENEFIT YOUR HEALTH?

22nd February 2019

DO DENTAL IMPLANTS BENEFIT YOUR HEALTH?

Your dental and mouth’s health doesn’t just begin and end with your teeth. No, there are soft tissues like your gums and even your jawbone that need to be kept healthy to support the function, look, and feel of your mouth. Missing teeth can actually greatly affect your dental health in more ways than you might think, which is why dental implants could help restore much more than your smile to your mouth. You could help to prevent the onset of these dental conditions…

Dental implants help prevent bone loss

This is one of the biggest health benefits of dental implants – they help to keep your jawbone strong and prevent bone loss of you lose a tooth (or teeth). Your teeth and your jawbone share a healthy relationship, your jawbone staying strong for your tooth and vice versa. They rely on each other for strength and stability. When you lose a tooth, however, the root dies and your jawbone stop receiving signals from that tooth. The bone in that area thinks it is no longer needed and begins resorption, weakening and shrinking in size. This weak area of bone threatens the stability of the surrounding area, often worrying the neighbouring teeth. By replacing a missing tooth or teeth with a dental implant, you help keep your jawbone strong and purposeful. This is because of the titanium root we use to place in the bone which actually invites your natural structures to heal around it and fuse with it. The jawbone remains strong, and you maintain the ability to chew and talk comfortably!

Dental implants help prevent gum disease

When you lose a tooth, you obviously expose an area of gum that was otherwise covered, protected, and occupied. Gum disease is one of the leading causes of tooth loss, so if you lose a tooth then the chances are that your gums are already a little compromised. Their condition could worsen, however, with this newly exposed gummy gap. A greater surface area of soft tissue is exposed, therefore presenting more of an opportunity for bacteria to attack this surface. This could worsen any underlying gum disease or trigger the onset of a more severe case, affecting your neighbouring teeth and possibly leading to further tooth loss. Replacing missing teeth with dental implants helps to protect your exposed gums by covering the now-vulnerable parts. This helps to control the risk of losing more teeth and the onset of a more severe form of gum disease.

Dental implants help prevent cavities and decay

It’s not just the gums that the gap of a missing tooth leaves open, but different sides and surfaces of your neighbouring teeth are now revealed and unprotected. These surfaces wouldn’t usually be visible or reachable, but your missing tooth has newly exposed them and left them open to bacteria, food debris, and plaque build-up. These areas can also be difficult to clean properly, leading to decay and cavities forming. Furthermore, this gives plaque ample opportunity to gather and rest atop the gum line, hiding from tooth brushing efforts and therefore angering your gums and risking the onset of gum disease. Replacing a missing tooth with a dental implant helps to cover these surfaces once more, protecting them from bacteria but also making your teeth easier to clean, bettering your dental health.
If you’re worried about a loose tooth or have recently lost a tooth (or multiple teeth), then the dental professionals at Abbey House Dental in Stoke-on-Trent. Enquire online or speak to a friendly member of our team on 01785 818037 to book your initial dental implants consultation!