While a nice smile is something many people admire, tooth replacement options such like implants, bridges, and dentures are so much more than trying to get a beautiful set of teeth. They also pose other important purposes as well that are vital to take note of if you’re contemplating on whether or not tooth replacement is right for you. So why are replacing your teeth important?
#1 The teeth aid with speech
Because teeth have the ability to help us produce specific phonemes, speech will not be the same without a full set of teeth. The fewer teeth you have, the more difficult it will be to create certain sounds, thus making speech unclear for others to understand.
With a full set of pearly whites, you won’t have to be embarrassed about a lisp or mispronunciation due to missing teeth. A full set of teeth can also eliminate the frustration regarding struggling to pronounce certain words.
#2 Teeth also help with eating, an important component of one’s daily life
Most obviously, teeth are important when it comes to eating. Imagine trying to eat just about anything with missing teeth. Carrots, peanut brittle, sandwiches, steak, hamburgers, and granola bars are just some of the few things that tooth loss sufferers may have to avoid.
Luckily with tooth replacement options, you can ensure you’ll be able to consume your favorite foods and solid food in general. Even if you only suffer from a few missing teeth, if you suffer from tooth loss due to poor oral hygiene habits, it’s likely you’ll face more tooth loss in the near future. The fewer teeth you have, the more likely you are to have to cut out your favorite foods from your diet. Act now before it’s too late!
#3 Dental implants, bridges, and dentures provide a realistic tooth/teeth experience yet can’t decay like real teeth
Considering tooth replacement options don’t contain real teeth, you won’t have to worry about cavities or yellowing teeth. This is a plus for a lot of dental patients as it’s something less to worry about and means less emergency dental costs. However, dental checkups and oral hygiene routines are still vital for those with tooth replacements, partial or full.
Keep in mind that the mouth is filled with bad oral bacteria that needs to be brushed and washed away to prevent gum disease (periodontitis), oral cancer, and other issues within the mouth. Bacteria can still accumulate around dental devices. Letting the gums weaken and rot around your dental device can cause it to reject. But if you keep your oral bacteria count down, you can expect to have a healthier mouth and general good health for years to come.
#4 Teeth prevent your lips and mouth from sinking in, retaining the natural structure of your face
Most importantly for some, because teeth protrude from the mouth they way they do, they provide a huge part of your facial structure. The more missing teeth you have, the less structure that’s available in your mouth area.
Without teeth at all, the lips and surrounding areas would have no means of support, causing a sinking into the empty mouth. In addition to this, the lips will begin to curl and wrinkle inwards. Just this alone makes speaking and eating more difficult.
Can I still get dental implants if I suffer from gum disease?
In short, those with essentially “bad gums” or suffers from gum disease aren’t necessarily the best candidates for dental implants. Just like housing regular teeth, having dental implants put in place usually requires strong, healthy gums.
However, this doesn’t mean the latter folks don’t qualify for dental implants. In addition to still being able to receive dental implants, gum disease sufferers can opt for partial or full dentures to replace missing teeth. Other options are also at hand. Speak to your Honolulu dentist to see what’s best for you and your situation.
It’s important to note that there are different types of dental implants out there:
- Endosteal implants: These types of implants are drilled into the jawbone to act as a rooted tooth. A strong jawbone and a healthy set of gums are typically ideal for placement of this type of implant. They typically require a good amount of support.
- Subperiosteal implants: Subperiosteal implants, on the other hand, are dental implants that are still placed under gum tissue for support but are placed just on or even above the jawbone. This implant is best for those with a weak or shallow jawbone or those who don’t have the best set of gums. This is best for gum disease patients in most cases.
Does this mean there’s hope for me getting dental implants with gum disease?
While there is a chance you can receive dental implants with gum disease, there’s also a chance that you can’t. Dentists often advise that one has a healthy mouth and generally good oral health for placement of dental implants.
This ensures that the implants are secure and aren’t going to eject from the mouth or need removal later on due to complications. Especially those suffering from a severe case or a later stage of gum disease, receiving dental implants may not be available.
Often times, though, dentists can provide treatment or offer a procedure to cure (in early stages) or treat (in later stages) gum disease prior to dental implant surgery. Patients with active gum disease may otherwise suffer the possibility of implant failure or loss.
This is not something you want to happen to you as dental implant surgery is costly. This is especially true if you don’t have dental insurance or a dental savings plan. But don’t give up hope yet. Your dentist can let you know if you’re qualified for dental implant surgery or if your gum disease requires treatment beforehand.
Can People With Diabetes Get Dental Implants?
You may or may not be aware that patients who are sufferers of diabetes are often not considered good candidates for dental implants. However, this doesn’t mean they can’t receive them. In fact, thousands of diabetics have implants today.
The success rates of dental impacts for diabetics, though, varies depending on the severity of the disease. Yet, there’s still a chance the surgery will be successful just as with any other procedure.
Why aren’t dental implants ideal for those with diabetes?
Those with controlled diabetes may be more likely to qualify for the procedure. However, uncontrolled cases may especially pose problems during recovery. Because diabetics have a slower rate of healing, the recovery of a dental implant sometimes takes longer. In addition to this, blood circulation, especially to the gums, also causes risk for a less successful recovery process.
Because diabetics are at a higher risk of developing gum disease, unhealthy or weak gums are likely to be a problem in the patient. Permanent dental implants require strong, healthy gums with plenty of soft tissue before the implant can be set in place.
Curing your gum disease (before the disease has come to a late stage) or treating the gum disease (once it has progressed) may be necessary before a dental implant treatment. Soft tissue replacement in minor cases may also be an option. Otherwise, removable dental implants may also be an option as these don’t require one to have as strong of gums as permanent implants.
Luckily, those with controlled diabetes have up to a 95 percent success rate with the procedure and healing process. Even those with uncontrolled diabetes may be able to have the procedure done. It’s always best to check with a doctor and/or dentist to test whether or not you are an appropriate candidate for a dental implant.
How will diabetes affect my chances of receiving a dental implant?
No worries – A medical professional may be able to provide suggestions or procedures to ensure you will be a good candidate for a dental implant. Getting your diabetes under control is the first step.
If worse comes to worst, a dentist may help to find an alternative for your tooth loss. If you have several missing teeth, a partial denture may be necessary. Other alternative procedures may also be applicable.
However, studies suggest that even those suffering from uncontrolled diabetes may not suffer from a higher risk of failure when it comes to dental implant placement. Though, this is not for sure. To be on the safe side, checking with a medical professional is a must.
Also, keep in mind that your chances of recovering may or may not be altered due to your condition. Success will vary from person to person, how well their body recovers, and how uncontrolled the diabetes is to begin with.
How Poor Oral Health Lowers Success Rates
While the success rates of implants is near 98 percent, the success rate is considerably lower for those with poor oral health.
It’s not uncommon for the mouth to need time to adapt to a newly-placed dental implant. However, the mouth can also reject an implant. Those with worse oral health are possible victims.
Even though dental implants are topped with a man-made crown and are not real teeth, it’s important to remember that implants must receive the same oral care as any other tooth in the mouth if you plan on keeping them.
The proper twice-a-day brushing, flossing, and rinsing with mouthwash are vital if one wants to have not just a healthy set of teeth but also healthy implants. It’s also vital that implant wearers continue going to the dentist at least twice a year.
Those apart of the 98 percent success rate group for implants are responsible in keeping their entire mouth clean and choosing to moderately consume oral health problem-causing foods and drinks such as sweets, alcohol, soda, and other sweet and/or acidic foods and drinks. These good practices can keep one’s oral bacteria count down. As a result, this can lower the risks of oral diseases.
Of course, the more oral bacteria we have in the mouth, the more likely we will suffer with oral health problems such as gum disease and cavities, for instance. Of course, conditions like this decrease our chances of being able to healthily receive and house dental implants in the first place.
Again, even though dental implants are man-made and don’t utilize natural tooth materials, and thus cannot receive cavities, it’s especially important that a dental implant candidate has healthy gums as gums. After all, these are what help hold and support the implant in place. Without healthy gum tissue or with a receding gumline, we can expect our dental implants to fail sometime in the near future. The proper care is necessary now.
The main thing to take from all of this is that we cannot support a dental implant long term if we have poor oral health. The proper oral care should be in order if one has or plans or receiving dental implants at some point.
Just like natural teeth, it’s important to resort to cleaning dental implants thoroughly and attending dental checkups for the best oral health humanly possible. Dental implants can certainly be costly. That said, failing to care for them is basically throwing money down the drain.