The human teeth were built to last a lifetime, but sometimes, illnesses, damage, and many other things happen that result in tooth loss. Replacing any missing tooth is important not just for dental/ oral health, but also for general physical health. Thankfully, teeth replacement therapy has come a long way in recent years, making it easy to get back the full use of your teeth as well as the confidence that comes with a full smile.
For many adults, dental implant supported dentures is the right choice for teeth replacement, regardless of whether they were born with the full complement of teeth or lost one or more of their tooth due to injury, decay, or infection. Even adolescents are not left out as once the jaw has fully developed, individuals from the age of 16 can qualify for a dental implant, as the experts at Southgate Dental mention.
Wondering if a dental implant procedure is a right move for your teeth replacement? Here are some of the advantages of going to dental implants.
1. Improved self-esteem
Teeth loss has been associated with low self-esteem and confidence issues. In fact, people who have lost one or more of their teeth tend to avoid eating, smiling or laughing in public for the shame of people noticing their missing teeth. But with dental implants, the lost tooth is replaced with one that is indistinguishable from the real thing, making it possible for the affected individual to smile confidently in public and feel good about themselves again.
2. Improved facial and bone features
Apart from giving you back your confident smile, a dental implant also helps improve the bone structure of the face, giving you a fuller, richer look. There is no need for any adjacent teeth to be cut during the procedure as the implant makes it easy to get the right size and shape of the missing tooth without touching the rest of your teeth.
At the same time, a dental implant will prevent any deterioration that should have occurred as a result of missing teeth and increased pressure on the remaining dental structure of your mouth.
3. Dental Implants can prevent facial sagging and premature aging
One of the side effects of tooth loss is facial sagging. This happens when the lower third part of the face starts to collapse from the effect of bone loss caused by missing teeth. Facial sagging is usually characterised by an obviously closing distance between the tip of the nose and the chin, making the person look a lot older than he or she actually is. This also causes excess wrinkles around the mouth.
When the dental implant procedure is carried out by a tooth implant specialist, the affected jawbone is rejuvenated so that the facial sagging is stopped and reversed. In fact, at the end of the procedure, there will be little or no sign of the sagged face or premature ageing look.
4. Looks exactly like the real thing
The beautiful thing about dental implants is that they are designed to look, function and feel just like the real thing. They function exactly the same as the natural teeth and provide more long-term value than other teeth replacement solutions.
Because of the way dental implants are designed, no one will be able to tell you are using an artificial tooth unless you tell them because there is no visible difference between a dental implant tooth and a natural tooth.
5. Restores Bite Force
A dental implant procedure involves anchoring a titanium post into the jaw to replace the tooth root. This titanium post is screwed tight in the jaw bone and virtually irremovable. Because of the strength and positioning of the dental implant, the wearer is able to bite and chew with more or less the same amount of force as with the natural teeth.
While there are other teeth replacement options that do allow you to bite and chew, it is no secret that none of them provides the same level of strength, grip, and function, as the dental implant. They mostly sit on top of the gum and are not anchored in place so they cannot provide the same bite force as implants.
6. Enables Natural Speech
There are tooth replacement options that impact natural speech. For example, dentures can impact your ability to pronounce certain words and can even give you an artificial lisp. But dental implants don’t have this problem. Because they are properly anchored in the jaw and are no different from the natural teeth, you can speak properly and naturally with implants just as you would with your natural teeth.
7. Improved oral health.
We already know that missing teeth can impact oral and physical health. This is why you need dental implants for your missing teeth. As long as you maintain proper oral hygiene and follow the maintenance instructions of your dentist, you will find that your dental implants will allow for long-term oral health improvement as well as great physical health.
8. Longevity
Dental implants are not only known for having the highest success rate (with a success rate of about 98%), they are also known for lasting the longest.
If you are looking for teeth replacement that will last for decades if not a lifetime with minimal maintenance, then what you need is a dental implant.
Even in a worst-case scenario, dental implants can last for at least 10 years, a lot more than can be said for bridges that last for about two years and dentures that last for about five years.