Losing teeth can be a devastating occurrence that can greatly affect your oral health in a negative way. What happens when you lose teeth and choose to not have them replaced is that you will begin to lose gum tissue and bone in your jaw. You’ll lose this gum tissue and bone because they existed in the first place to support your teeth. Once your teeth have been lost, the gums and bone that once surrounded your teeth will lose their purpose, so your body will begin to discard them.
A couple of things will happen when your gum tissue and bone completely deteriorate. First, your appearance will be affected because your jawbone will shrink. Second, you may be unable to have a tooth replacement option put into your mouth without a bone graft procedure because your jaw has shrunk so much. Last, you will have trouble chewing your food because you have lost so much bone.
What Dental Implants Will Do For Your Oral Health
The problems that are mentioned above are what will happen if you choose to not replace the teeth that you have lost. If you do choose to replace your lost teeth, you are making the right decision, and the healthiest way to do so is with dental implants. Dental implants are tiny screws that are carefully inserted into your jaw and firmly attached to your replacement teeth. When the screw-like implants are inserted into your jaw, they fuse with the bone and act as the roots of your teeth.
It is incredibly important to your oral health that the roots of your teeth be replaced along with your teeth. The reason it is so important is because the roots of your teeth are what keep your gum tissue and bone from deteriorating. So, having dental implants placed will effectively save you from losing valuable gum tissue and bone. If your oral health could talk, it would thank you over and over again for choosing dental implants.
The Different Types Of Dental Implants
Dental implants are a very important innovation in the dental world, and naturally there have been different advances over the years to cater to different types of people. The types of dental implants are:
- Traditional dental implants. Traditional dental implants are small, screw-like dental mechanisms that are placed in your jaw so they can fuse with your jawbone. After they are placed in your jaw, we will attach a strong dental crown to each one to complete your smile!
- Single tooth implants. We realize that some people may possess nearly all of their natural teeth. That is why single tooth implants are offered. They do not need to rely on healthy teeth for support.
- Implant-retained dentures. Dental implants are not cheap. That is why implant-retained dentures were created. They are an alternative to traditional dentures that make sure you don’t suffer from the loss of gum tissue and bone. They are basically traditional dentures (partial bridges) held in place by several dental implants. They are not only healthier than traditional removable dentures, but they are also more secure.
Maintain Your Appearance With Dental Implants
It is proven that dental implants can save your oral health from taking a nosedive. It is also true that dental implants can save your appearance from taking a turn for the worst. When you don’t replace your natural teeth that have fallen out or been extracted, your jaw will shrink. This will affect your appearance because new wrinkles will develop and you will appear years older! You will also develop that look of having a tiny lower jaw that makes you look even older than the wrinkles alone. Combine the two together and you might as well add 10 years to your age!
Do what is best for your appearance and oral health when you lose your teeth and have some form of dental implants placed. You will be extremely grateful that you had a dental implant procedure done years down the road when you look your natural age or even younger! If you are interested in having your missing teeth replaced with healthy dental implants, or if you need your implants restored, call Joseph A. Ricciardi, DDS at 609-752-3293 or make an appointment using our online contact form.