Tooth loss is more common than you may think. According to The American College of Prosthodontics, 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth, and around 40 million are missing all of their teeth.
Tooth loss can affect you in various ways, and your self-esteem is the most common. Missing one or more teeth can affect your appearance, making you feel self-conscious when speaking, smiling, and laughing. In addition, tooth loss can make speaking and chewing difficult, and your existing teeth can shift toward the open space, resulting in more serious dental issues.
Tooth loss can be treated with partial dentures and dental implants. Of the two options, affordable dental implants have the most benefits.
What Are Dental Implants?
According to the Mayo Clinic, metal screw-like posts are drilled directly into the jawbone and act as the implant’s root. It can take a few months before the posts bond with your jawbone, and then a false tooth can be attached to the post, which looks just like your natural teeth.
If you don’t have enough jawbone to hold the implants, a bone graft may be necessary.
What Are the Benefits Of Dental Implants?
If you aren’t sure if a partial denture or affordable dental implants are the better option, you should consider the benefits of dental implants.
- Dental implants look more natural: The primary selling point for dental implants is the natural appearance they provide. Partial dentures look natural; however, the metal bracket can be visible when you smile, laugh, and speak, depending on the teeth they are replacing.
Dental implants are drilled directly into your jawbone; therefore, you won’t need to worry about people seeing metal or other parts during a conversation.
- Dental implants stay in all the time: Partial dentures need to be taken out at night while you sleep and should soak in water until you put the denture back in when you wake up.
Dental implants are drilled into your jawbone; therefore, they never have to be removed. If you are worried about someone seeing you without your partial dentures at night, affordable dental implants are the best option.
- Dental implants are easy to maintain: According to the American Dental Association, partial dentures need to be soaked in water overnight to keep their shape when they aren’t in your mouth. In addition, you should soak them in a denture cleaner several times a week.
Affordable dental implants are much easier to care for. All you will need to do to keep your implants healthy and clean is to brush the implant the same way you brush your natural teeth. In addition, regular flossing is essential. Neglecting to floss can cause a condition called peri-implantitis, which causes tender red gums, bleeding gums, and pain when you apply pressure to the gums. As long as you floss as directed, you can prevent this condition, keeping your gums and the implant healthy.
- Dental implants protect your natural teeth: Partial dentures use the healthy teeth near the missing teeth as an anchor, so they fit tightly in your mouth. While the anchor teeth will hold the denture in your mouth, it can damage the anchor teeth, resulting in even more damage to your smile.
Dental implants are drilled directly into your jawbone; therefore, you don’t have to worry about the surrounding teeth being damaged.
- There are no food restrictions: If you choose a partial denture, you will need to stop eating some of your favorite foods. Hard food, such as pizza crust, and sticky food, such as caramel or taffy, can damage the denture. In addition, if your partial denture is used to replace your front teeth, eating food that you take bites from, such as a sandwich, can also damage the denture.
Affordable dental implants are drilled into the bone and are very secure; therefore, you can eat anything you want without causing damage to the implant.
- Dental implants last forever: According to the Oral Health Foundation, partial dentures last five to eight years and need to be replaced, which can be costly over the years. Dental implants are permanent; therefore, they don’t need to be replaced regularly. The most you need to do is replace the crown, which can last over 15 years if you have proper oral hygiene habits.
Dental implants are more expensive than a partial denture. However, when you consider the cost of replacing your partial denture for the rest of your life, dental implants can be more cost-effective.
If you want to replace a missing tooth to improve your appearance and self-esteem, affordable dental implants are the best option.
