With images in the media of the Hollywood smile, it is easy to feel more insecure about your own smile. Especially if you, like many people, have a few gaps in your teeth.
There are many reasons people may have gaps in their smile; accidents, illness or even from poor hygiene. Regardless of the cause, a smile with gaps can seriously impact on an individual’s confidence, causing them to withdraw from social events and to feel self-conscious.
Dentistry has had the answer to filling the gaps left by multiple or individual teeth for a long time, in the form of bridges and partial dentures, but these are not secure and can cause excessive rubbing against the gum line, which can lead to ulcers and swellings.
As dentistry has advanced, so have the solutions to issues like gaps in a patient’s teeth and now, many dental surgeries are able to offer their patients the option of oral implants.
What are oral implants?
Oral implants are small, metal screws that are attached to the upper or lower jawbone, traditionally where the root of the lost tooth was located. If you have lost all your natural teeth, you will require multiple implants to be fitted.
Once your dentist is certain the implants have fused to your jaw, a prosthesis is then fitted; these range from a single tooth (crown), a bridge (a few teeth in a row) or even an overdenture for one or both jaws.
If you have teeth remaining in your mouth, your dentist will sculpt any crowns or bridges to match your natural teeth in colour, shape and size, instantly improving the appearance of your smile.
What are the advantages of oral implants?
Of course, oral implants have the benefit of filling gaps of any size in your smile with natural looking teeth, which will boost your self-esteem immediately. However, there are many other advantages to having implants fitted.
Improved bite
If you have lost all your natural teeth, or just have some gaps, this will impact on your ability to bite food, potentially leading to you avoiding foods that require excessive chewing.
Depending on the number of implants you require, a prosthesis like an overdenture can dramatically improve your bite strength and grip. Implants can also prevent issues like temporomandibular joint dysfunction, which is movement issue in the jaw caused by a misalignment.
Bone growth
When you lose teeth, your jawbone recedes and so does gum tissue.
Bone loss in the mouth can cause structural issues to any remaining teeth, causing them to become misaligned or crooked. When implants are fitted to the jaw, it stimulates bone growth around the metal screw and even allows new blood vessels to form. This can strengthen surrounding teeth and prevent unwanted movement too.
There are many more benefits of having oral implants fitted, so if you are fed up with hiding your smile, contact your dentist today for a consultation.