Tooth loss doesn’t have to be devastating to your smile and oral health, especially if you deal with it as soon as possible. By replacing your lost tooth or teeth, you can restore much of your bite’s function, rebuild your smile’s appearance, and much more. However, some options for rebuilding your smile are better than others in terms of how much they can restore. For many people, the most effective way to deal with tooth loss and its many potential consequences is to replace them with a custom-designed, dental implant-supported restoration.
Starting with the loss of your teeth roots
If you judge the severity of your tooth loss by appearance alone, you would miss one of the most profound aspects of your condition – the loss of your teeth roots. You can’t see the healthy teeth roots that rest within your jawbone structure, and it can take years before you notice the impacts of losing one. However, from the moment the tooth is uprooted from its socket, the emptiness can begin to impact the strength and integrity of the bone structure around it. As a result of the lost root, that area of your jawbone won’t be stimulated when you bite and chew, and over time, this can cause it to lose some of its mass and density.
Stabilizing your dental restoration
A dental implant post is designed to replace a lost tooth root, which means reestablishing that root’s stimulation in your jawbone. However, that isn’t the only purpose of the implant; as a prosthetic root, its main functional purpose is to support your custom-designed tooth replacement. Once one or more implant posts are placed within your jawbone and the bone structure has healed around them, they can be utilized to support a dental crown, bridge, or denture with nearly the same level of stability as healthy, natural teeth roots. Not only will biting and chewing stimulate your jawbone again, but it will also be easier and more comfortable to eat a larger variety of foods.
Promoting better long-term oral health
The goal of rebuilding your smile after tooth loss is to restore your smile as much as preserve it. However, with traditional dental restorations that don’t replace your lost teeth roots, some level of degradation (such as jawbone erosion, and heightened risks of future oral health concerns) can be common. One of the greatest benefits of dental implant restorations is that they restore the vital functions of your teeth and their roots that pertain to preserving your healthy, natural smile. A stronger restoration, fuller jawbone structure, and more functional bite often mean much better oral health in the long run.
Address your tooth loss with dental implants
Dealing with the consequences of tooth loss can be more complex than you might expect, and dental implants can often be the best way to address them all for good. To learn more, or to schedule a consultation, call Santa Rosa Oral Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA, today at 707-545-4625.
