Why Are Dental Implants So Popular?

People lose teeth for various reasons, including injuries, tooth decay, and periodontitis. Each tooth plays a valuable role in eating, speech, and self-image; therefore, all three important life aspects may suffer when you have missing teeth. Fortunately, you have different options for replacing lost or damaged teeth. Although there are various replacement options, your dental implant specialist recommends dental implants for the following reasons.

A permanent solution to tooth loss

Dental implants are durable and are designed to last for many years. With good care, you can have dental implants for a lifetime. Other tooth replacement options, including dentures, wear out with time and will need to be repaired or replaced periodically. But with dental implants, once you have them, you require no more dental visits for repair. Because of their permanent nature, dental implants are also cost-effective; once implanted, you treat them as you would your natural teeth.

Look and function like natural teeth.

One major reason why implants are becoming popular by the day is that they appear and work much like your natural teeth. Many patients can’t tell the difference between the implant tooth and their natural teeth. This is because implants are designed to fuse with your jawbone, eventually becoming part of your mouth. The implant fuses with the bone through osseointegration which takes about three to four months.

Prevent bone loss

When you have several missing teeth, the jaw bone in the space deteriorates due to lack of stimulation. The bone area can lose up to 25% of its volume if no implant is placed within a year of tooth loss. Dentures can speed up a bone loss since they eventually become loose and rub against the bony ridge, causing it to wear away. But an implant replaced both the tooth and root, restoring chewing to normal and providing the stimulation needed for natural bone growth.

Enables better speech

Tooth replacement options like dentures impact your ability to pronounce certain words correctly. They often slip in the mouth, causing you to mumble or slur your words. But dental implants are strongly embedded in your jawbone, so they won’t fall when you talk. That means they allow you to speak as you would with your natural teeth.

Easier eating

Dental implants restore your bite force, meaning you can bite with more or less the amount of force as with your natural teeth. Therefore, there are no constraints to what you can and can’t eat. You can even enjoy chewy foods like steak without worrying about your teeth. Additionally, implants are permanent, so you do not need to remove them; this can be embarrassing, especially in social places.

Improve your appearance

Dental implants restore missing teeth which improves your overall appearance. Consequently, you become more confident when talking or interacting with new people. You no longer have to hide your smile or worry about making a negative first impression.

If you have missing teeth, consult your oral surgeon at Intelligent Dental Group to know if you are a good candidate for dental implants.