Getting a dental implant is worth your time and money if you need to replace a missing tooth. Implants serve as a strong foundation for permanent or removable teeth and may be designed to resemble natural teeth.Teeth can fall out because of decay, cavities, gum disease, or an injury. Dental implants are different from other teeth replacement methods because they replace both the tooth and the root. This can help keep your other teeth from moving because of a gap.
How Do Dental Implants Keep Your Jaws Strong?
When you chew or bite, your jawbone gets pressed. This action, done over and over, keeps the bone healthy and strong. But when you lose a tooth, you don’t put as much stress on your jawbone. As the bone is reabsorbed into your body, it will get weaker.
Dentures and bridges are great ways to replace missing teeth, but because they sit on top of the gums, they don’t stimulate the jawbone when you chew. Because of this, you are likely to keep losing bone mass. On the other hand, dental implants are attached to your jawbone and act like your natural teeth when you chew or bite. This keeps your jawbone stimulated and healthy.
What Does It Take to Get An Implant?
Your dentist will check to see if you have enough bone mass to hold the titanium rod in place before the implant surgery. If you don’t, your dentist can do a bone graft to build up the jawbone. Today, there are a lot of different materials and methods you can use to build up your bone density so that your jaw will bond with the implant.
During the implantation, your dentist will pull out the tooth and put a titanium rod where the root used to be. The titanium then fuses with your jawbone in a process called osseointegration.
The titanium will take several months to join with the jawbone fully. Once that is done, your dentist will screw an abutment into the titanium rod and attach a crown. As you usually chew, your jawbone gets stronger with its “new” root. In essence, the dental implant stops bone loss.
Remember that you may need a sinus lift if the implants are put in your upper back teeth. The nearby sinus cavity may eat away at your jawbone when you lose a tooth in that area. The sinus is moved away from the jaw during this procedure. The new bone can grow together with the jawbone. After the fusion is done, the implant can be put in place.
But most people don’t need a bone graft or sinus lift. You can expect a standard implant procedure if you have enough bone mass to accept the implant.
Dental implants can help in more ways than just stopping bone loss. The implants will also fix your face’s shape. When you lose bone mass in your jaw because you don’t have teeth, your lower face may look “sunken.” If you don’t replace a missing tooth, your gums may shrink and become more likely to get periodontal disease.
The jawbone will weaken the longer you wait to replace a missing tooth. If you lose a tooth and get a dental implant right away, you can get your complete set of teeth back and keep the strength of your jawbone.
Implants Make It Easier For You To Bite Down
When people have all their teeth, their bite force is between 200 and 250 pounds. A person with dentures held in place by glue can bite up to 50 pounds of muscle. Imagine chewing a steak or biting into an apple with only a quarter of the force you usually use.
Dental Implants Improves Natural Speech
Your teeth are a big part of how clear your speech is. Dental implants stop slurring, whistling, and other unwelcome sounds from coming out of the mouth. Even better, they bring back your natural way of speaking.
Making Dental Implants Look Natural
The denture is usually made of porcelain that looks like teeth. But dental implant restoration doesn’t just look natural because of the shape and color of the new teeth. It also looks natural because of what goes on in the background.
Dentures connected to dental implants won’t have any problems that regular dentures often have. Here are some reasons why tooth replacements that are attached to dental implants can look real and natural:
- They don’t limit what food a person can eat. Because the implants in the jawbone support the teeth, the person can eat whatever they want.
- The denture won’t move around or get in the way of speaking or smiling.
- Depending on the type of implant restoration, the replacement teeth may not need to be removed.
- Implant dentures look more natural because they don’t rest directly on the gums and need less plastic to stay in place. Dental implants help keep the jawbone and gums from breaking down, which can change the shape of the face.
When people with missing teeth go to the dentist, they will discover their options and what to expect during the process. When making implant dentures, the dentist will take their time. The goal is to get the patient’s teeth working again and give them a new smile that looks good and natural.
Dental Implants Are Easy To Take Care
Here are some easy and effective ways to take care of your dental implants in 2022, whether you’ve had them for years, just a few months, or are planning to get them:
Daily Brushing and Flossing
Even though dental implants are attached to fake teeth, they still need to be taken care of like natural teeth. This means they need to be brushed twice a day for two minutes each time and flossed every day. It is essential to floss around the implant’s base to get rid of any food that has gotten stuck there. Plaque and bacteria can cause gum disease, but if you brush and floss daily, you can get rid of them.
Find the Right Dental Equipment
Ensuring you have the right supplies is another way to take care of your dental implants. First, you’ll need a toothbrush with soft bristles and enough length to reach the back of your mouth. Some dentists say an electric toothbrush is the best way to care for dental implants, especially if you have trouble brushing correctly. You might also want a floss threader or a small interdental brush to make it easier to floss around the implant. Also, water flossers work well for cleaning around dental implants and are easier to use than traditional dental floss.
Try A Different Toothbrush
Did you know that you should get a new toothbrush every three months? When the bristles on your toothbrush start to fray and lose their color, which usually happens every three months, you should get a new one. If you replace your toothbrush often, you can be sure that plaque and bacteria are being removed from your mouth well. Also, changing your toothbrush every few months won’t get too dirty with bacteria.
Final Words
Dental implants are cared for the same way you take care of your natural teeth: Brush them and floss them at least twice a day. If you want to know, “Are tooth implants worth the money?” Yes, that is the clear answer. Even though it seems like a long process, getting dental implants is worth the time and money. You can visit our website to know more about dental implants.
