Dental implants aren’t considered the best form of tooth replacement available just because they look and function like real teeth. Because they serve so effectively, dental implants can have significant benefits for your overall health and may even contribute to a longer lifespan. Here are a few ways dental implants may help you live longer with a better quality of life.
Dental Implants Can Help a Patient Eat a Healthier Diet
The human body requires a varied diet to get all of the nutrients it needs to remain healthy and strong. While traditional dental restorations like dentures and bridges can restore some of a patient’s chewing power, they cannot match the eating ability of real teeth. Some patients with these restorations face malnutrition because it is too hard to eat enough healthy food. Dental implants, on the other hand, can bite, tear, and grind anything that real teeth could, opening up the patient’s diet to things like snappy veggies, meat-off-the-bone, and crunchy nuts that would have been too hard to chew otherwise.
Dental Implants Can Help Preserve the Health of the Rest of the Mouth
The jawbone needs exercise from working with the teeth to stay healthy and strong. This stimulation disappears after a tooth is lost, and the jawbone will begin to atrophy and recede as a result. This can pull the neighboring teeth out of alignment, making them more vulnerable to infection and injury. Since they are placed directly into the jawbone, dental implants can restore this stimulation, preventing or reversing this loss of bone mass.
Preventing chronic gum disease can have wonderful long-term benefits for your overall health. Since they are implanted directly into the jaw, plaque and food debris can’t become trapped beneath dental implants. Dentures and bridges, on the other hand, can get bacteria, sugary residues, and food material stuck underneath them, which makes it easier to develop gum disease. Gum disease is linked to greater risks for conditions like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and dementia.
Dental implants bring patients both health benefits and quality of life improvements. Consulting with your dentist can determine if dental implants are an appropriate treatment for you.
About the Practice
Beck Dental Care provides comprehensive and effective dental services to the community of Columbia, TN. Led by Drs. Matthew Hart, Kyle Williams, and Philip Matthews, the staff is dedicated to creating a warm and comfortable environment while delivering remarkable results. Areas of expertise include preventive, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry as well as dental implant services. For more information on the benefits of dental implants, contact the office online or dial (931) 388-8452.