Bone loss is a big problem for people who lose one or more teeth, though many people don't know that. Unfortunately, this can dramatically change the shape of your face and even put neighboring teeth at risk. However, dental implants can help prevent this from happening. If you're curious why, read on.
The Difference Between Dental Implants And Other Teeth Replacement Methods
It's important to note that the only dental replacement method that can help to prevent your bones from weakening are dental implants. This is because of the design of the implants themselves.
Tooth replacement methods like bridges and dentures are designed to sit on top of the gums. They do their job well, but they have next to no impact on the bones of your jaw. Implants, on the other hand, go down deep until they actually touch the jaw.
How Teeth Keep Bones Strong
Another important thing to know is that implants only emulate what real teeth do. When you have healthy, normal teeth, those teeth serve to keep your jawbones strong each and every day. They do this by acting as a conduit for pressure when you chew and bite. This allows pressure to be transmitted into the jawbones, which triggers a process called osteogenesis. In other words, it stimulates your bones to make new bone cells to replace old and damaged ones.
How Implants Emulate Teeth
Dental implants are able to accomplish the same effect as real teeth. That's because of how far down in the gums they go and their contact with the jawbones.
When you bite and chew on a bridge or denture, the pressure only travels partway into your gums, which doesn't help matters much. With a dental implant, though, the pressure can travel to your bones just like with a real tooth.
But why is this all important? Well, as you've learned, teeth keep your bones strong. But when a tooth is lost, the bone-fortifying activity is also lost. Dental implants can restore this activity and ensure that you don't lose bone mass in your jaw. Without an implant, this is a very common problem that you'll be likely to experience yourself. As a result, your jaw may look less firm, and in extreme cases, it can even weaken your jaw enough that it can be more easily damaged in a traumatic event.
If your want to keep your bones strong and are missing teeth, the best thing you can do is to get dental implants.
Every time you take a bite of food, you should be grateful for your healthy teeth! A tooth can lose its health and structure quickly once decay sets in. Luckily, if you visit your dentist for regular appointments, the decay should not get too serious before your dentist notices it and can do something about it. That "something" is applying a filling. On the other hand, if the decay progresses too long before it is caught, you may need a crown or even an extraction.
We want to keep our teeth, and we know you want to keep yours. That's why we created this website to teach you more about dentists and dental care. Enjoy!