This blog post from The Addison Dentist focuses on missing teeth, bone health, and dental implants.
Our teeth have many vital functions. We need them to chew our food, talk, and smile. But have you ever considered their role in holding up your face? When we lose teeth, the bone around the site begins to shrink. This, in turn, causes our facial muscles to sink in and collapse.
Bone Metabolism
We sometimes think of bone as a solid mass. In reality, below the seemingly rock-hard surface, bone tissue is full of small holes – kind of like a sponge. In the interior bone tissue, the bone is continually regenerating itself. This essential process is sometimes called “bone metabolism.” In the jaw bone, the movement of the teeth stimulate this process of rebuilding. When the tooth is gone, the bone starts to shrink as blood flow is reduced.
People with missing teeth not only have an unappealing gap in their smile, they begin to look older because of the bone recession and eventual facial sagging. It is not simply an issue of attractiveness – it poses serious health dangers. It may become difficult to chew food, making it harder to get adequate nutrition. Mental health can also be affected when a patient with missing teeth loses self-confidence, or withdraws from social situations.
Dental Implants Can Prevent Bone Recession
Modern dentistry to the rescue! Dental implant technology provides a tooth restoration solution that maintains healthy bone metabolism while providing near-normal tooth function. For patients missing many (or all) of their teeth, it may not be possible to replace every single tooth with an implant. In many of these cases, dental implants can be used to provide an anchor for a partial denture.
What if your bone has shrunken so much that there is not enough to support an implant? You may be a candidate for bone augmentation or bone grafting. This procedure is routinely executed with success.
Dental implants are available from The Addison Dentist. Other services include general dentistry. Schedule an appointment with us today.
Contact The Addison Dentist:
469-998-2515
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
4145 Belt Line Rd Ste 208
Addison, Texas
75001
