The Many and Varied Benefits of Dental Implants By on October 25, 2014

If you are missing one or more of your natural teeth, modern dentistry offers a number of fine treatments that will help to restore form, function, and health to your mouth. Of these treatment options, however, none can match or even come close to matching dental implants. Simply stated, dental implants represent the single most effective long-term method of replacing missing teeth that dentistry has to offer. In fact, an implant-supported restoration is the closest you can come to having a natural, living tooth inhabit the space once occupied by your missing tooth.

At Smiles by Myles in Reston, dental implant benefits are explained in detail to patients who are missing one or more of their natural teeth so that they can make confident decisions regarding the replacement of these teeth. It is important that they understand these benefits because, while dental implants are undoubtedly expensive, they may provide better value for money than any other elective medical treatment that exists. Most of our patients find the improvements to their quality of life alone to be priceless.

The benefits offered by dental implants are impossible to list in a single blog post; however, here are just a few of the more notable ones.

Oral Health Benefits

Your brain is responsible for distributing your body’s natural resources where they are needed most. When you lose a tooth, your brain makes the executive decision that the gum and jawbone tissues that once supported that tooth no longer serve any vital purpose and therefore no longer require any of your body’s precious blood and nutrients. As a result, these tissues begin to degrade, which ushers in a host of other oral and general health problems.

Because the posts that comprise the artificial tooth root portion of the implant restorations are made of pure titanium, dental implants actually halt this degradation process. You see, your brain cannot decipher between a titanium tooth root and a natural tooth root. When the titanium root is surgically embedded into the jawbone, the brain interprets this as a signal that the gum and bone tissues are once again necessary to the proper functioning of the mouth. As a result, the degradation of these tissues halts, and your oral health returns to its optimal condition.

This benefit is unique to dental implants; no other dental restoration replicates it. Implant-supported restorations also prevent the natural teeth adjacent to a gap from drifting out of their proper positions within the mouth, thereby keeping the bite intact.

Functional Benefits

Unlike removable partial and full dentures, implant-supported restorations remain snugly and sturdily in place through any activity. There is no fear of shifting or slippage. With dental implants in place, patients are once again able to eat, speak, bite, chew, and smile with ease, confidence, and dignity.

Cosmetic Benefits

No other dental restoration replicates the entire structure of a tooth from root to crown. Because implant-supported restorations are actually attached to the implants beneath the gum line and rooted at the jaw bone, they look far more natural than any other type of restoration. In fact, even upon close inspection, custom-crafted implant-supported crowns, bridges, and dentures are virtually indistinguishable from natural teeth. Now that’s something to smile about.