If you're preparing to have several teeth extracted, your dentist may have talked with you about the possibility of dentures versus dental implants. While you can opt for either one, you may find that dental implants are a better choice overall. Here are a few of the reasons why you should choose dental implants to address your missing teeth.
Dental Implants Are More Secure
If you have ever used, or know anyone who has used, dentures, you know that these can be a convenient solution for dealing with missing teeth. However, they aren't the most secure. Even with adhesive products, dentures can shift, fall, move, and become a nuisance.
Dental implants eliminate those issues. The implant is secured to your jaw bone, so you don't have to worry about it shifting or falling out. Your teeth will be permanently affixed with no need for adhesives, removal for cleaning, or any of the other nuisances of dentures.
Dental Implants Are Easier
Anyone who has ever had dentures knows that the transition to dentures can alter your speech, your chewing patterns, and more. They take quite a bit of time to get used to, and that adjustment period can leave you feeling self-conscious as well.
With dental implants, the implants fit seamlessly with your existing teeth, eliminating much of the adjustment associated with the process. You won't struggle with the foreign object feeling in the same way that denture wearers do, which makes it a much simpler transition.
Not only are implants easier to adjust to, but they are also easier to take care of. Your dental implants don't need to be removed, soaked, or treated in any way different than your existing teeth. You'll just maintain them the same way you do your natural teeth, with regular brushing, flossing, and other care.
Dental Implants Are Healthier
One of the biggest problems for those who lose natural teeth is the subsequent jawbone density deterioration and jawbone loss that happens over time. If you opt to have dental implants instead of dentures, the implants actually stimulate your bone, preventing the bone loss that typically happens when you have dentures. This protects your jawline and your facial structure.
These are a few of the many reasons why dental implants are a great option over dentures or neglecting a missing tooth. Talk with your dentist today about the possibility of dental implants to replace the teeth you are having, or have already had, removed.
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.