The consequences of losing a tooth do not stop at your smile. But in addition to hitting your smile, the loss of a tooth can also hurt your oral health over time. Among the many effects that missing teeth have on your body, jawbone loss is one of the most serious, and once it begins to take effect you could quickly start experiencing issues with both your dental health and general well-being, says a dentist in Boynton Beach. Fortunately, dental implants are a great option not just for replacing missing teeth, but also to maintain and even build bone health.
How Tooth Loss Affects Your Jawbone
When a tooth is in its proper place, the pressure and movement from chewing and speaking naturally stimulate the jawbone. This stimulation is lost where a tooth is missing, causing an unopposed loss of bone under the space left from a lost tooth. Eventually, this leads to bone loss, which can in turn affect the aesthetic quality of your face and result in further tooth loss or complications with surrounding teeth.
The Preservation and Stimulation of Bone with a Dental Implant
What makes dental implants truly distinct from other care methods is they are the only treatment that cares for both the form and function of tooth loss, especially their ability to preserve & stimulate jaw bone. Here’s how they work:
1. Osseointegration: The key to bone health: Dental implants have the most amazing benefit of osseointegration where they can bond to the bone in your jaw. Through this process, that titanium post of the implant actually fuses with the bone and basically becomes a part of the jaw permanently. That hybrid encourages the bone in much the same way that a real tooth root would, applying pressure and stimulation to ensure the health of the surrounding bone.
2. Preventing Further Bone Loss: Dental implants prevent additional bone resorption by providing a stable foundation for a replacement tooth. This is essential, especially for those with long-term missing teeth and also existing low degrees of the bone system. Implants placed in the jaw help maintain bone structure and facial aesthetics by preventing the loss of bone associated with tooth loss following extraction.
3. Bone Regeneration and Growth: Often, they can also provide a stimulus for the growth of bone. It means that once you place the implant, after time the bone surrounding the area can reconstruct and heal itself by enhancing not only their respective quantity but also its quality. This follows the next most significant advantage, especially for those who suffered extensive bone loss due to long-term tooth loss or other dental complications.
The Significance of Bone Health in Dental Implant Success
The most important risk associated with the success of a dental implant is its bone health. An implant can only work and last long enough if there is sufficient bone tissue to sustain it. If the bone is too weak, or if there is not enough thickness of bone for proper integration to occur, such an implant will likely fail. In these situations, it may be necessary to perform extra procedures on the patient to add or build up the bone before an implant is placed which can include a sinus lift or bone grafts.
While dental implants in Boynton Beach improve the appearance and function of missing teeth, these restorations do much more than enhance a smile. Not only do they preserve the health of your jawbone and help prevent bone loss, but in some cases they can even regenerate bone tissue. A qualified dentist can help repair your smile and preserve the long-term health and integrity of your jawbone.
