Dental Implants Give Patients a Reason to Smile

There’s nothing quite so heartbreaking as seeing someone who is afraid to smile, covers their mouth when they laugh or appears uncomfortable and self-conscious around others.

People who have lost teeth know this pain all too well, but dental implants can give them their smile back without the discomfort and hassle of caring for removable dentures. It’s like having your permanent teeth back.

“People who have many missing teeth face a diminished quality of life,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states on its Division of Oral Health Web site. “Not only do they have to limit food choices because of chewing problems, which may result in nutritionally poor diets, but many feel a degree of embarrassment and self-consciousness that limits social interaction and communication.”

Even one missing tooth can lower self-esteem. People lose their teeth due to injury or disease and this can happen at any age.

The American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) states that there are more than 30 million people in the United States of American who are missing all of their upper or lower teeth. There are many more millions who have crowns and bridgework done and 3 million people in the country are getting dental implants annually, which is a number that’s growing every year as the procedure becomes more popular, according to the AAID.

According to the American Dental Association, the fact that implants fuse to bone, give people a better fit than other options and feel natural to them. While looking your best is important for one’s self-esteem, it’s about more than appearances. It’s about health.

“Replacing missing teeth is important to your general health and to the health of your other teeth,” the American Academy of Implant Dentistry states on its Web site. “Not only do you lose chewing ability when a tooth is lost, but unreplaced teeth can cause other teeth to be lost, tipped or crowded and create subsequent problems.”

Although not everyone is a good fit for dental implants due to bone density problems, most people have no problems and there are options that might fix the problem of not enough bone for the implants, according to the AAID Web site.
While some might think that implants are relatively new in dentistry, dental implants have been used regularly for more than half a century, according to the AAID site.

The CDC states that dental implants can remain in good condition for the rest of a person’s life, but that dental hygiene and cleaning visits remain essential care.

For those who have lost the teeth that they hoped would last them the rest of their lives, dental implants offer a second chance at a lifetime of beautiful smiles.