Tuesday, April 7, 2015

The Healthy Impact of Dental Implants on Jaw Structure

Dental implants help you get a natural-looking and complete smile after the loss of one or more teeth. While this is certainly important for your oral health – strong replacement teeth support better oral function – the way implants are secured has a positive impact on bone in your jaw.

Bonding to Bone

The body of a dental implant looks like a small screw, or post, and is made of titanium. When placed into bone in your jaw, the post of the implant naturally bonds with the bone. This processed, called osseointegration, actually helps maintain healthy bone density levels.

The presence of your natural tooth root keeps your jaw bone dense, but the lack of a natural root from a missing tooth causes bone to shrink, changing the shape of your face.  The post of a dental implant, however, takes the place of a real tooth root and prevents bone from diminishing. 

Stimulating Bone

As you bite and chew, your tooth root actually stimulates bone in your jaw. This stimulation is necessary to keep bone strong and healthy. However, as we mentioned above, the absence of a natural tooth causes problems for bone, especially because it’s not getting the stimulation it needs.

Your dental implant extends into jaw bone and stimulates it in much the same way as your real tooth root. Other dental restorations, like bridges and removable dentures, do not touch bone and cannot provide the same benefits.

By choosing dental implants for teeth replacement, you’re able to maintain strong and dense bone, which enables you to maintain facial structure and enjoy full oral function. If you have questions about what dental implants can do for you, contact our Foster City dental office to speak to our implant dentist.


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