The Benefits of Dental Implants

Tooth loss and tooth decay are prevalent among many children and adults. Individuals often begin to experience tooth loss at the onset of old age as the muscles in their jaws begin to weaken. Moreover, poor oral hygiene and inadequate nutrition can lead to tooth decay, gingivitis, and other illnesses which only aggravate tooth loss. Thankfully, with new advances in dental technology, missing teeth can be replaced with dental implants that are as efficient as natural teeth.

Many individuals forgo getting dental implants because of the expense. Unfortunately, missing or decayed teeth can disfigure otherwise beautiful smiles. They affect overall dental health as well. If vacant spaces are left unattended, the adjacent teeth will start migrating into them. When teeth from other parts of the arch start moving into that vacant space, the patient is often left with a lopsided smile.

Tooth loss can also affect a person's speaking abilities. Missing teeth lead to slurring as individuals begin to experience difficulty enunciating words. This can affect a person's level of confidence. Furthermore, missing teeth can impact the function of the upper and lower molars, causing patients to experience problems with chewing and grinding food.

In the past, Mount Pleasant dentists fabricated bridges to fill vacant spaces left by missing teeth. The disadvantage to this approach was that adjacent teeth had to be filed to accommodate the dental bridge. This process destroyed perfectly good teeth. Dental bridges are difficult to keep clean, can feel unnatural in the mouth, and only last about ten years. Dental implants are an improvement over the deficiencies of dental bridges.

Mount Pleasant dental implants are placed on the vacant space by the dentist. Once the implant bonded with the surrounding tissues, the abutment is sealed and a fabricated crown is capped on top of the implant. Implants feel and look like natural teeth. Patients can speak, smile, and eat as they did before the onset of tooth loss.

Proper dental implants installed by Mount Pleasant dentists can restore the confidence and self-esteem of patients who suffered from tooth loss. For elderly patients, dental implants are more comfortable than dentures. Compared with using dentures, dental implants help elderly patients chew their food more thoroughly.