Despite improvements in the dental care industry, numerous Canadians suffer from tooth decay, injury, periodontal infection, and even tooth loss. Back in the 90s, the only treatment choices available for patients with tooth problems were dentures and bridges. As time passed, advancements in dental treatments have led to the development of Invisalign braces and dental implants that are accessible at many dental clinics. The benefits of dental implants far outweigh the benefits of wearing dentures, traditional bridges or living with missing teeth.
What are the benefits of dental implants?
Dental implants are a replacement for tooth roots. They give your teeth a strong foundation that is similar to what you find in normal teeth. Now, let’s look at some of the benefits of getting dental implants.
1. Offers versatility
Fillers, bridges, full dentures, and partial dentures are all suitable teeth replacement options. But these options are highly specific with regard to the teeth they can replace. It’s not necessary that you lose teeth a specific pattern that makes bridges or dentures suitable for you. In this case, there are many benefits of dental implants for a better implant treatment. Dental implants have three parts:
- Crown for single tooth replacement
- Bridge or partial denture to multiple tooth replacement
- Full dentures to replace all of your teeth
These categories can help you and your dentist pick an option that works best for you and to design treatment as per your requirements.
2. Prevents Bone Loss
One of the most harmful side effects of losing a tooth is that you start losing bone mass around that tooth site. Wondering why this happens? It’s because there is no longer a root attached to it. However, when you use a dental implant in a jaw bone, it gives growth to new bone through a process named osseointegration, and that is how dental implants prevent bone loss.
3. Let’s You Eat Whatever You Want
One of the most common complaints among patients with dental implants is that they feel restricted in terms of what they can and can’t eat. It happens when the dentures are not supportive and don’t stay in place, preventing you from chewing harder and tough foods like apples or a steak.
If you’ve ever heard that you’ll have to change your diet when you get implants, it’s a myth. You can resume a normal diet if your implants are set perfectly, stable, and stay in place.
4. Prevents Changes in the Shape of Your Face
Believe it or not, when you lose a tooth, it can affect your facial structure. It happens because you also lose support, which gradually causes your facial structure to change shape, making you look older than your age. However, dental implants might offer support like a natural tooth does, preventing your facial structure from changing.
5. Enables Natural Speech
A few tooth replacement options, like half or partial dentures, may impact your ability to pronounce words properly. However, missing teeth is way more dangerous; it alters your speech. But dental implants are a beneficial option as they function just like natural teeth, allowing you to speak normally and without any hindrances.
6. Requires Low Maintenance
The best dental implants are capped with a crown and require no or less maintenance, but it also needs a proper oral hygiene routine. The care that dental implants need includes:
- Brushing teeth two times a day
- Needed flossing (not too less or too much)
- Use mouthwash before you sleep
- Regular checkups with the doctor
- Follow the recommendations of your dentist
- Go for scaling after every six months
Besides these, you don’t have to add any other additional care requirements, as these are enough if worked out properly. Implants that are capped with dentures might also require the same care routine to keep your tooth healthy.
7. Increases Your Self-Confidence
If you have a gap between your teeth, you already know how bad it looks and how it makes you self-conscious. It gets easy for you to lose confidence and self-esteem. Not only this, but a gap also affects your speech, preventing you from pronouncing words clearly. Here, there are many pros of dental implants as they give you a gap-free smile that boosts your confidence and allows you to continue speaking normally. Once you are done with a dental implant, you can simply go out, eat anything, and have fun with your friends without feeling conscious and worrying about what you can eat.
8. Won’t Get Cavities
The artificial teeth require care more than anything else to prevent bacteria that cause infection. However, dental implants are made of materials that don’t decay at any cost. Once you are done with the dental implant, you don’t need to worry about getting cavities in your implants.
9. Keeps Adjacent Teeth Stable
The gap caused by a missing tooth might have an impact on adjacent teeth. A gap pulls your teeth and changes the position of your adjacent tooth, gradually affecting your ability to chew. It also has an impact on your appearance, causing interference that makes tooth replacement challenging later on. However, dental implant treatment can help you avoid such problems and keep your teeth aligned in a specific position.
Difference between Dental Implants and Dentures
| Dental Implants | Dentures |
| Dental implants are stable; they are permanently fixed and don’t move from their place, even when you eat hard foods like apples. | They stay in your mouth using a dental adhesive that must re-glue after every meal. |
| Because they’re fixed in place, they offer a better experience compared to dentures. | While eating, they sometimes slip out, making it embarrassing in front of others. |
| There is no loss of bone mass occurring after wearing dental implants | Progressive bone loss occurs even after wearing dentures. |
| You won’t face difficulty chewing with dental implants | Chewing with dentures is not easy since they may come out while eating, and you’ll need to fix them repeatedly. |
| They don’t need to be removed for cleaning. You can care for them the same way you care for your normal teeth. A night care cleaning routine like flossing, brushing, and using mouthwash is good enough to maintain your oral health. | You need to wash or clean dentures after every meal. If you don’t clean them regularly, there is a chance of suffering from tooth decay. |
Final Thoughts
Whether you go for full, half, partial dentures, bridges, or dental implants, consult your dentist to know which treatment option is best. For a smooth tooth replacement experience, most professionals suggest dental implants.
They act as a permanent solution to your teeth problem. They don’t slip or need adhesive glue to stay in place. They also don’t need any sort of cleaning, just regular care that you would otherwise provide to your normal teeth. A long-term benefit of dental implants is that they prevent the loss of bone mass from the area you lost your teeth. Plus, dental implants are made of materials that don’t decay.
If your dentist suggests that you get dental implants for your lost teeth, rest assured that it’s the best treatment for your long-term oral health!
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