Three Things Dental Implants Can Do For You

It used to be so nice.

You could eat anything that you wanted. You never hesitated to pose for pictures with a big smile on your face.

Now … well, now you just don’t feel like smiling.

The reason is because your smile isn’t what it used to be. It may be because you are missing a tooth. It may be because you are missing all your teeth.

Either way, you feel self-conscious about opening your mouth.

If you can relate to those sentiments or they remind you of someone you know, then it may be a good time to call First Dental Associates.

The restorative services at our dentist office in Reading, MA, include dental implants, which can help you eat and be merry once again. We want you to consider three ways dental implants are good for you and your oral health.

◼︎ 1. You will restore your smile.

People want to look their best. That’s why we get our hair cut certain ways. It’s why we dress the way we do, and it’s why some people choose to wear makeup.

Our smiles play a big role in how we look. According to surveys, people with nice smiles are considered more attractive, more intelligent, more successful, and friendlier.

When you are missing a tooth or teeth, the does affect your smile. It also can affect how willing you are to show your smile to others.

Dental implants can play an important role in bringing your smile back. Implants replace the roots of your teeth. Like roots, implants serve as the anchors for your teeth replacements.

If you are missing one tooth, a dental implant can be used to support a dental crown.

If you are missing multiple teeth, you may need more than one dental implant to hold your dental bridge in place.

And what if you don’t have any teeth? You can get a set of strategically placed dental implants to hold a set of dentures in place.

◼︎ 2. You can eat what you want again.

As much as we appreciate how a full set of teeth improves our smiles, we also understand that teeth have an important function in our lives.

Our mouths are where we start breaking down food so it can be digested. Our teeth are the tools we used to tear and grind our food into smaller pieces, which makes it easier to get the nutrients we need.

Humans have understood this for all of recorded history. This also explains why we have examples of people trying to find tooth replacements going back thousands of years.

We have discovered that people used everything from stones and seashells to ivory, bones, and teeth (from animals and other humans) to replace their lost teeth.

With dental implants, we now how the closest thing we’ve ever had to full replacement teeth. By replacing the roots of our teeth, our crowns, bridges, and dentures are more stable and stronger than they’ve ever been.

The best way to illustrate this point is with dentures. Traditional dentures rest over your gums, which can cause them to slip out of position. This makes it difficult to eat foods that require a little effort to bite, and it can make it frustrating to eat foods that require lots of chewing.

Researchers have found that people with traditional dentures can restore about one-fourth of their bite force, which would explain the difficulties in eating.

However, people how have implant-supported dentures can regain 80 percent or more of the original bite force. For all practical purposes, this will allow you to continue eating the foods that you love without straining or worrying that your dentures will get pulled out.

◼︎ 3. You could prevent additional tooth loss.

OK, this one may not apply if you already have a full set of dentures.

When you lose teeth, this affects your mouth in multiple ways. One of them is that your jawbone will start to shrink.

Without going into details, this is a direct result of no longer receiving stimulation from the roots of your teeth. As your jaw loses mass, nearby teeth will be at greater risk of falling out as well.

By using dental implants in combination with dental crowns or bridge, you have a way to replace your roots and to keep your jaw healthy and strong. As long as you keep up your oral hygiene, this will greatly reduce the risk of losing more teeth.

Stay Strong With Dental Implants

First Dental Associates wants all our patients to feel comfortable with their smiles. We also want you to be able to eat the foods that you want to eat.

Dental implants can help with both of those matters.

To learn more, schedule a consultation at our dentist office if you live in or near Reading, MA. Call [phone] or fill out our online form to request your appointment.