Dental implants are one method of many to replace missing teeth. When looking simply at the price difference between implants and other methods of replacement, you might have hesitation regarding getting dental implants. But they're better in a wide variety of ways, starting with the fact that dental implants last much longer than their competitors. If you don't know much about dental implants, this is a great place to start.
The Problem With Bridges and Dentures
Bridges and dentures are popular methods of replacing missing teeth, but they share a common issue: they sit above the surface of the gums. This may not seem like a big deal at first, but it really is. When you don't have anything beneath the surface of your gums, you lose a variety of benefits.
How Implants Are Different
Dental implants go beneath the surface of the gums. The implant itself is inserted all the way down to your jaw bone. This is the main difference that sets dental implants apart from bridges and dentures.
The reason that this is such a big deal is that dental implants mimic the way that real teeth work. Real teeth don't just help you to chew, but they also serve to transmit pressure from the surface of the tooth all the way down into the root, which lies at the jaw bone. This provides a number of benefits to your oral health. Dental implants are unique in that they're the only tooth replacement method that mimic this action, sending pressure the same way that a real tooth does. When you bite down on a denture or bridge, for comparison, the pressure only transmits partially through the gums.
Benefits You Can Expect
With dental implants, you can expect a series of benefits to your oral health. Here's a look at a few of them.
For starters, chewing on a dental implant stimulates the jaw to thicken the bone. It does this by building new bone cells. This is important, because once you lose a tooth, the jaw bone starts to lose density as a result. Dental implants can help to restore this lost density.
In addition, dental implants help to restore lost circulation to the gums. Chewing on a tooth or implant doesn't just stimulate the jaw; the entire gum receives pressure as well, which pushes blood out and encourages the flow of more blood to come in. Worsened circulation in the gums can increase your likelihood of developing gum disease, so it's a good idea to get an implant.
If that weren't enough, implants can help to support your other remaining teeth. Worsening circulation can put teeth at risk, so by having an implant put in place and restoring that circulation, you protect all your teeth.
Our oral surgery and general dental website offers important information on how to prevent dry socket following a tooth extraction. After getting your tooth pulled, a protective blood clot develops over the extraction site. Many of our blog posts explain how this protective clot helps promote healing after an extraction.
You'll learn that if the clot is accidentally dislodged, dry socket may occur, which can raise your risk for infection and heavy bleeding. We'll provide you with important tips on how to prevent this by avoiding smoking and drinking through a straw. You'll also learn that swishing water around your mouth should be avoided for a couple of days following your extraction because doing so creates a suction that may dislodge your clot, leading to dry socket.