Tooth loss is often upsetting, and many people feel embarrassed or angry that they have lost teeth. The impact of tooth loss can be very wide-ranging.
The Unwanted Visual and Social Effects of Tooth Loss
Losing teeth can affect so many areas of life, including the ability to eat properly and to enjoy a wide range of foods. It can be awkward to share meals with others when dentures are loose and ill-fitting and tend to move around and slip out of place.
Also, many foods are tricky or even impossible to eat with dentures due to their lower biting strength. Dentures can affect the ability to speak clearly, and people with poorly fitted dentures can often slur or mumble their words. All these factors can lead to people becoming more socially isolated, negatively affecting their wellbeing.
Then there is the way tooth loss affects facial appearance. Losing teeth means that facial muscles in the cheeks and lips are no longer adequately supported. Without this support, facial features can collapse inward and overall facial dimensions change, with a loss of height between the upper and lower jaw.
The Unwanted Effects of Tooth Loss on Oral and General Health
If that wasn’t bad enough, tooth loss has a considerable effect on oral and general health. When you lose teeth, your natural tooth roots are removed, and this greatly affects the jawbone around them. Without the stimulation provided by real tooth roots, the jawbone quickly resorbs, losing a considerable percentage of its density and mass within the first year.
Any remaining teeth are also negatively impacted as the loss of bone can destabilize them, and empty spaces allow them to drift out of place affecting the way they bite together. Without strong and healthy teeth, it’s difficult to eat properly.
When many foods cannot be chewed thoroughly, it affects digestion and can potentially create digestive problems. Without a varied diet, it’s trickier to get all the vitamins and minerals needed for good overall health, making it harder to fight diseases and infections.
Why Choose Dental Implants Instead of Dentures?
Dentures have been traditionally used for hundreds of years in various forms, and modern dentures are quite lifelike, made using high-quality denture teeth that are supported with a base of gum-colored acrylic. The shade of the acrylic can be closely matched to the person’s natural gums.
However, the major problem with dentures is that they rest on the gums, relying solely on the gums and the underlying bone for support and retention. The pressure created by dentures resting on the gums actually accelerates bone loss, and the more bone is lost, the less the retention.
This is why dentures soon become ill-fitting, uncomfortable and loose and awkward to wear. While the problem isn’t so bad for upper dentures because these cover the upper palate, giving them a little more suction, it can be especially problematic for lower dentures. A lower denture rests solely on the bony arch that used to support teeth.
Gradually, the width and height of this bony arch diminish, greatly destabilizing lower dentures. Dental implants help address many of the problems created by tooth loss and ill-fitting dentures.
Dental implants consist of small posts or screws made from titanium or a strong type of ceramic called zirconia. The implants are surgically inserted directly into the jawbone, where they closely replicate a real tooth root.
Because they replicate real teeth, they help prevent many of the problems associated with tooth loss. Dental implants restore stimulation to the surrounding bone that is normally provided by real tooth roots, preventing bone loss while providing a strong anchorage point for replacement teeth. Because they rely on the jawbone for support, dental implants provide a far greater biting strength that is similar to real teeth.
With dental implant teeth, it’s much easier to choose a wide variety of foods, providing essential nutrients to fight infection and disease. Mealtimes are enjoyable, and because implant teeth are held firmly in place, there is no fear of mumbling or slurring words.
Protecting the jawbone also helps to protect facial features, and implant teeth provide the correct support for cheeks and lips, maintaining the proper dimensions between the upper and lower jaws. Perhaps one of the nicest things about implant treatment is its versatility.
Multiple Options Available for Implant Treatment
Unlike dentures, implant treatment offers several options and is extremely versatile. People can choose to replace every tooth with a single implant, but it’s much more cost-effective to have an implant bridge for replacing teeth that were originally adjacent to each other.
An implant bridge can even restore entire arches of teeth, giving the strength and stability associated with natural teeth. Because the implant bridge is screwed or cemented permanently in place, it makes it easy to forget about tooth loss entirely. However, having a bridge permanently fitted in place isn’t right for everybody and it is one of the more expensive solutions. An option that is far more cost-effective is to have what’s called an overdenture or implant denture.
Unlike a bridge that can only be removed by a dental implant dentist, an overdenture clips onto the implants. The implants have special fittings, or sometimes a bar is fitted onto the implants and which connects onto special fittings in the denture. Once the denture is clipped in place, it is extremely strong and secure and provides a far greater biting strength compared with an ordinary denture.
The strength isn’t as great as a dental implant bridge but it does allow users to enjoy a much greater range of foods and to have the kind of stability associated with real teeth. It’s also an extremely cost-effective solution that brings implant treatment into the range of most people. Some people also find it more convenient to have a removable appliance, finding it easy to care for and to clean thoroughly.
Dental implant treatment is regarded as the gold standard for tooth loss and is increasingly recommended by dental implant dentists and ordinary dentists alike. Best of all, treatment is usually suitable for anyone, provided you have reasonable dental and general health. An initial consultation with a good dental implant dentist will tell you much more about the treatments available to you and the overall process and costs.
If tooth loss is affecting your confidence, function, or overall health, it’s more than just a cosmetic issue—it’s a challenge with real consequences. Dental implants offer a long-lasting, natural-feeling solution that helps preserve jawbone health, improve chewing, and deliver the kind of smile that both looks and performs its best. At LuxDen Dental Center, our goal is to walk you through every available option—explaining the benefits of implants versus dentures clearly, honestly, and with your unique needs in mind.
Call LuxDen Dental Center at (718) 717‑8866 to schedule a consultation. Let our experienced and caring team help you reclaim a strong, healthy, and confident smile for years to come.
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