If you’re going to lose teeth, now might be the best time in history to do it. In previous centuries, people suffering from tooth loss could only replace them using uncomfortable and non-functional restorations or haphazard and frequently unsuccessful implants made from seashell shards, animal teeth, or teeth taken from the dead. Thankfully, modern dental implants are safe, sanitary, and effective while boasting a remarkable success rate of over 95%. Here are a few reasons why we should be thankful for dental implants during this Thanksgiving season.
Dental Implants Can Preserve Your Remaining Teeth
The teeth work as a team, and the loss of even one can lead to serious consequences for those that remain. Tooth loss can change the way the pressure of chewing is distributed, leading to uneven enamel wear, the need for greater chewing force, and injuries such as cracks, chips, and fractures. Receiving dental implants can redistribute the pressure of chewing more evenly so you can enjoy food safely, comfortably, and thoroughly.
Dental Implants Can Keep Your Jawbone Healthy
The jawbone receives the exercise it needs to remain healthy and strong from the teeth during the chewing process, and it will begin to atrophy and recede after tooth loss. As the section of jawbone that supported the tooth shrinks away, it can pull neighboring teeth out of alignment, leaving them harder to clean, easier to injure, and more likely to be lost. While traditional restorations like dentures and bridges do nothing to address this problem, dental implants can prevent or reverse the process of jawbone erosion by restoring this lost exercise.
Dental Implants Can Improve Your Mental Health
Self-image is important, and tooth loss can make a person anxious about showing off their smile to others. This is unfortunate since smiling generously can make an individual seem friendlier and more approachable, confident, and trustworthy to those around them, and it can also help trigger the release of the body’s natural feel-good chemicals such as endorphins and serotonin. Restoring your lost teeth with dental implants can give you the confidence you need to show your smile off proudly at home, at work, and at social events.
When you’re remembering all the things we have to be thankful for at your Thanksgiving dinner, take a little time to appreciate all the good dental implants do for people across the world. If you have missing teeth, consulting with your dentist can help you find out if implants can be a good solution for you.
About the Author
Dr. Salma Helal earned her dental degree at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and completed a one-year general practice residency in Seattle to refine her skills. Her office in New Brighton provides general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry as well as dental implant services. To schedule your dental implant consultation, contact her office online or dial (763) 571-4837.