There are many reasons why you may lose a tooth, ranging from decay to trauma. If you have a gap in your smile then you are certainly not alone. It’s estimated that Australian adults have an average of 4.5 missing teeth.
Having a missing tooth feels peculiar, it can also affect your confidence. You will be aware of the missing tooth and this will make you reluctant to smile and, therefore, less confident in a variety of situations. It can quickly have a knock-on effect on your quality of life.
In short, you need to see a reputable Sydney Park dentist and get an implant! But, boosting your confidence and feeling able to tackle anything life throws at you is not the only reason to get an implant.
1. Preservation of Other Teeth
You may not realize it but when you have a gap in your teeth your body will slowly compensate. Over time the other teeth will actually move to close the gap. This sounds like a good thing. However, teeth have deep roots in your jawbone. Their movement will weaken the bone structure, especially as the bone will deteriorate around the missing tooth.
This increases the likelihood of other teeth falling out and can actually change the shape of your face, aging you prematurely.
What’s more, dental implants are much safer and more effective that other systems for replacing teeth. With other tooth-replacements methods such as dentures or bridgework, there are high chances of the adjacent teeth weakening over time. Bridgework requires the adjacent teeth to provide support to the dental bridge, which puts stress on these teeth and increases the chances of decay setting in.
Another method is a partial denture, which also puts stress on the neighboring teeth and might even loosen them with time. With dental implants, though, you get independent tooth replacements won’t need support or strength from the remaining natural teeth.
2. Prevention of Disease
When you are missing a tooth the gum is exposed and this makes it easier for bacteria to damage the gum and access the bone underneath. Over time the gum will harden and make it more difficult for bacteria to get in. But, in the early days, you are much more likely to get an infection which could affect the health of your other teeth or your overall health. If you’re looking to take care of your oral health, you can consider opting to sort out gum diseases or Dental implants in Encino.
As mentioned above, neglecting to put in dental implants can cause the adjacent teeth to shift, which increases the chances of decay as well. The teeth will also be more crooked this way, which again invites bacteria and plaque to set in.
One of the most important issues that dental implants stave off is jaw deterioration. Basically, a jawbone requires some pressure and stimulation from teeth roots in order to stay healthy and strong. When someone loses a tooth, however, some of that essential pressure is no longer there. If this problem is not addressed in a timely manner, the body will slowly start the process of demineralization. This means that it will start to reabsorb the jawbone so that its nutrients can benefit the rest of the body.
With a dental implant, we get almost the same type of pressure back for our jawbone. It won’t just fill a gap, but will also stimulate the jawbone in the same way as a natural tooth’s root did before. Eventually, an implant will help to make sure that the jawbone stays intact, which also preserves the shape of your face.
3. Longevity
Implants are 98% successful, meaning that they are almost certain to last a lifetime! That’s impressive by any standard. The simple fact is that having an implant allows you to continue your regular oral hygiene schedule and be confident that your implant will be there for years to come.
Of course, the implant won’t decay and it will take an average of more than thirty years for you to need it replaced. That actually makes it a good investment.
4. Confidence
We mentioned this already. However, the simple fact is that confidence is key to success in life. Research shows that people with a full set of teeth feel more confident about smiling than those with a gap. The problem is that, if you are constantly thinking about not smiling you will be uncomfortable in a variety of social and business scenarios.
That means you can’t be yourself and you will miss opportunities. It is normal for people who are self-conscious about their smile to reduce the number of times they go to events, ultimately stopping altogether.
In short, an implant may be an expensive option, but, it is an important choice to help maintain your quality of life. That’s hard to put a price on.