Exploring Oral Health Symptoms, Issues and Solutions

Why Consider Dental Implants When You Have a Loose or Missing Tooth?

A dental implant is a permanent tooth root that is put in place to hold an artificial tooth or a bridge, which is like a set of dentures but with just a few teeth rather than a whole set. Having a dental implant placed in your mouth where you have a missing tooth, or having a loose or decayed tooth pulled and then replaced with a dental implant, can improve your appearance but also help to protect your overall dental health. If you're unsure of having a dental implant, note a few benefits this procedure can offer.

1. Improved comfort and easier eating

One disadvantage to a bridge or dentures is that they're often uncomfortable, as they may slide around even while talking, and allow food particles to rest between them and the gums. It can also be difficult to eat certain foods with dentures or a bridge, as they may not be strong enough to bite down on certain foods without sliding out of place. The same is true with a loose or decayed tooth. With a dental implant, you are more comfortable throughout your day since it is permanent and doesn't move around or cause discomfort when eating, and in turn it doesn't interfere with your talking or eating.

2. Easier oral hygiene

Dentures and bridges need to be removed to be cleaned thoroughly, and this job can be tedious and time consuming. A person might actually neglect cleaning them completely simply because of the time and effort involved, or because they may not be comfortable removing them when at someone else's house for dinner. In turn, their oral hygiene suffers. Because a dental implant is permanent, it gets cleaned with the rest of your teeth with your standard routine of brushing and flossing.

3. Protecting oral health

Tooth roots stimulate the bones of the jaw, so that when a tooth is missing, you can actually experience bone loss. This can lead to other teeth being at risk for loss, as the bones cannot support their roots. A person may even become more prone to jaw fractures because of this weakening of the jaw bone.

Dental bridges may require that other teeth be reduced or drilled down to give it room to fit. In turn, these teeth may become weaker. However, a dental implant doesn't require any of the surrounding teeth to be touched, and because they are left intact, this too can protect your overall oral health. The dental implant also stimulates the bones of the jaw so that they stay healthy and strong.


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