Dental procedures have come a long way in the last couple of generations. Gone are the days when you walk into your grandparents’ bedroom and find a full set of teeth soaking in a glass on grandpa’s nightstand. While dentures are still pretty common and may be a good route to go, there are many reasons why patients might choose dental implants instead.
Will Not Shift or Squeak
First, dental implants will offer you an improved appearance as well as improve your speech. Dentures may slip or squeak as you talk, even if they fit perfectly when you initially got them. The reason for this, and what many people are not aware of, is that your mouth actually changes in size and shape as you age. On the other hand, dental implants fuse to your jawbone and become just like your permanent teeth, so as your mouth grows and shifts, your dental implants will be along for the ride.
Eat More of What You Want
If you have ever had dentures, you know to be careful about what you eat. Because dentures are prone to slipping and sliding, particularly when you chew, having dentures meant you often had to forego some things to keep your teeth from falling out. Dental implants alleviate this problem. Because they fuse to the bone, they act more as regular teeth, allowing you to eat more of the things you enjoy without worrying about adjusting your teeth or worse, having them fall out.
Improved Oral Health
Last but absolutely not least, the third benefit of dental implants that we will talk about is improved oral health. When you have a bridge put in or dentures, the dentist might have to shave down or reduce other teeth to support your dentures or the bridge. With dental implants, however, the new tooth will be made to look just like the regular tooth that was there before. In other words, it will fit perfectly in your mouth just the way your regular teeth would have. An additional health benefit is that implants will allow space in between teeth just as your regular teeth do, meaning you can and should floss and brush between them, reducing your risk of problems such as decay and gingivitis.
Talk to Your Dentist About Dental Implants
There will be different benefits to dentures and dental implants that you will need to talk to your dentist about. If you are debating between dentures and other alternatives to tooth replacement such as dental implants, talk to a qualified dentist about your options. There will be distinct advantages to either option and the best way to decide which option is going to work best for you is to be as informed as possible.
