69% of adults aged between 35 to 44 years have at least one tooth missing, and 26% of adults over the age of 74 have no natural teeth left. More and more people are choosing dental implants to replace their teeth, and there’s plenty of reasons why.
While dentures and dental bridges have been common in the past, technology has made dental implants more accessible. They are a far more effective solution that eliminates all the problems with dentures and leaves you with attractive, natural-looking, strong teeth for life.
Dental implants are a permanent replacement for your missing and damaged teeth. The titanium implant fuses with your jawbone, meaning that if you look after your teeth and maintain good oral health, your teeth will last as long as your jawbone. This is a tooth for life, with average dental implants lasting more than 25 years.
Implants mimic your natural teeth so effectively, you’ll forget they aren’t the real deal. They are supremely comfortable.
Because the implants are permanently fused into the jawbone, the prosthetic teeth are very strong. While you may not want to use them to crack open a beer, they offer far more strength than any other prosthetic option. They are just as strong as your natural teeth, with the added bonus of no cavities to worry about.
A dental bridge requires other teeth around it to be healthy, and it places pressure on them to support the replacement teeth. Dentures don’t support the jawbone, and it erodes and the bone is resorbed into the body. Dental implants not only don’t place pressure on existing teeth, they may help to strengthen them by making the jawbone healthier and stronger. They keep existing teeth stable by filling the gap so they don’t move and create a crooked, gappy appearance.
While scrupulous care must be taken of your mouth and teeth to maintain the health of your implants, it’s not arduous. Brushing, flossing, and regular dentist visits. That’s it. And, no worries about cavities—porcelain doesn’t get cavities.
With a few exceptions, dental implants allow you to eat what you want. With dentures or bridges, you have to be careful what you eat- no steaks, apples, corn on the cob or chewy toffee. Due to the stability of implants, you can eat almost anything you want with no worries about slipping or moving teeth or damaging anything. Your full bite force is restored and you can enjoy food again.
Because of the design of implants, no-one will ever be able to tell your teeth aren’t real. They look beautiful and natural, and the colour of the porcelain can be colour-matched to existing teeth, or whatever colour you want.
Many people say that dental implants gave them a boost of self confidence. If they had missing, damaged or broken teeth, they were self-conscious every time they smiled. The beautiful natural looking teeth provided by their dentist meant they could happily smile, with no concerns about their appearance.
If you have missing teeth, the jawbone starts to erode. In bad cases, this can cause sagging, drooping and a hollow appearance especially in the instance of multiple missing teeth. Implants prevent bone loss and can even help the jaw grow back. Your jaw shape and size will be maintained.
Dentures can move around in the mouth, and improperly fitting bridges or missing teeth can cause slurring of words and lisping. Dental implants allow you to speak clearly, articulate your words, and there’s no worries about your dentures becoming dislodged mid-sentence.
Dental implants are successful around 95%-97% of the time and has been proven in numerous clinical trials. This rate continues to improve as implant technology advances.
If you have a mouthful of implants, you never have to worry about cavities ever again. Porcelain doesn’t degrade the way natural teeth do. If you have had sensitive teeth in the past, you can now eat ice cream with no pain.
If you only have one or a few implants, these protect the teeth around them. There’s a decreased risk of caries and endodontic problems of adjacent teeth.
While the upfront cost of dental implants may seem a lot, it is actually good value for money. This is a once-in-a-lifetime cost that ensures no more future issues. Dentures need to be replaced every few years. Bridges can put pressure on other existing teeth and weaken them, requiring more dental work to fix them. Implants are truly the low maintenance, semi-permanent to permanent solution.
If you think dental implants are right for you, speak to your dentist. They will carry out a full assessment and advise how they can help you eat whatever you want, talk freely and naturally and smile again.
