The Long-Term Benefits of Dental Implants for Your Oral Health

The benefits of dental implants reach far beyond just aesthetic benefits. You’ll also enjoy widespread oral health benefits and improvements to your wider health. These benefits can be seen both long term and short term.

If you’re thinking about dental implants and would like to know how they can benefit your health, read to learn more about the dental implants procedure and how restoring your smile can have a widespread positive impact on your oral health and your wider health.

What is a dental implant?

A dental implant is a common dental procedure intended to replace a missing tooth in the most authentic way possible. An implant is placed in the jaw where it bonds with the bone and creates a replacement root. This root attaches to a crown, bridge or denture to restore your smile in a way that also restores the functionality.

What can a dental implant fix?

Dental implants can replace a single missing tooth, or it can replace an entire arch of teeth by using multiple implants. The possibilities are versatile when you consider that two implants could be used to support two ends of a bridge to replace multiple teeth in a row. This would be difficult to achieve with a conventional bridge and would rely on the support of surrounding teeth, which could weaken them over time.

Long term benefits of dental implants

The main benefit of dental implants for patients is that they can have a fully restored smile. Closing gaps in your teeth can drastically improve your confidence and your quality of life. It can also help your oral health and your wider health in the following ways:

Prevent remaining teeth from shifting

When you have a missing tooth and you don’t do anything to replace it, the remaining teeth can shift into the space. The opposite tooth can also move out of alignment, as it has nothing to push against when you bite down. It can also lead to receding gums that could remove support for surrounding teeth and cause them to become loose and fall out.

Maintains your jaw bone density

When you lose a tooth, you also lose jaw bone density in that area over time. If you have multiple missing teeth in a row, this could lead to changes in your facial structure.

Older people who are missing all of their teeth often experience the “sunken” appearance that is characteristic of wearing dentures. In short, wearing dental implants means that the jaw bone is still used. It absorbs the pressure of your bite and this can support maintenance of density within the jaw bone.

Encourages good oral hygiene habits

After getting dental implants, it is vital to stay on top of your oral hygiene. This means brushing and flossing twice a day and committing to regular dental checkups. You’re also more likely to visit the dental hygienist to help keep your teeth clean and free from plaque and tartar build up.

By investing in your smile, you can improve your overall oral health and you’ll have a better chance of avoiding tooth decay and loss in your remaining teeth. By intervening at the first sign of tooth loss, you can avoid the likelihood that you’ll lose further teeth as you get older.

Supports a healthy diet

When you replace missing teeth with dental implants, you don’t have to make any changes to your diet. This will ensure you continue to enjoy a rich and varied diet. Older people will often suffer from malnutrition as a result of their missing teeth.

This can be avoided by replacing missing teeth with dental implants so that you never have to say no to foods like crusty bread or raw vegetables. When you can eat a wide and diet, you are less likely to suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies that could have an impact on your health.

More likely to quit smoking

One of the prerequisites of dental implant treatment is that you will need to quit smoking and commit to not continue this habit. This is because smoking puts you at a higher risk of developing a condition called peri-implantitis which can lead to infection and rejection of the implant.

By committing to dental implants, you are more likely to quit smoking and make this lifestyle change last for good. This will have an impact on your oral health and your wider health in the short and long term.

No social isolation

Missing teeth can have a widespread impact on your confidence, which could lead to social isolation and loneliness in the long term. By closing gaps in your smile using a method that looks and feels natural, you can enjoy an active social life without feeling the need to hide your smile. It could also help to boost your confidence in relationships and in the workplace. This can have widespread benefits for your mental health.

Final thoughts on dental implants

If you’re thinking about dental implants to help close a gap in your smile, it’s important to think about the short term benefits alongside the long-term benefits. While dental implant treatment is an investment, it is a lifelong investment that not only benefits your appearance but also has benefits for your oral health and your wider health.

Leaving gaps in your smile is not advised due to the widespread impact on your wider health. Even if dental implants aren’t on the cards yet, it’s worth exploring other options for replacing a missing tooth, including a bridge or partial denture. This can help to safeguard your oral health until the future when you might decide that you are ready to invest in dental implants.