Dental implants have many advantages over all other tooth replacement options.
First, dental implants are the strongest and most lifelike form of tooth replacement. A tooth supported by a dental implant has nearly the same biting and chewing power as a natural, healthy tooth. Thus you can eat all the foods you need and want without discomfort or difficulty.
Dental implants also provide the chewing pressure that your jawbone needs to maintain its volume and density. Where teeth are missing, bone loss occurs and the jawline sinks. When all your teeth are missing, the entire jaw line loses height and the lower third of your face eventually collapses.
Wearing dentures does not provide the type of pressure needed to maintain jawbone volume and height. In fact, the pressure on the jaw from dentures accelerates the bone loss and facial collapse. This not only makes you look much older, it causes the denture to repeatedly become loose and need refitting.
A full arch set of replacement teeth solidly fixed onto dental implants will provide this pressure and will help prevent this bone loss. It will preserve the size and shape of your jaw while at the same time giving you near full chewing power. Additionally, the upper arch of replacement teeth will not have the false palate that traditional dentures require, and your sense of taste will not be hampered.
Another advantage of dental implants is that no grinding down of the adjacent teeth is needed to replace a missing tooth – as is necessary for a dental bridge. Ground down teeth become weakened and can develop infection or other complications over time.
Dental bridges also have a 10 year average lifespan, whereas dental implants… given proper care… can last a lifetime.
