There are lots of reasons why Norman dental patients choose to have dental implants surgically placed to replace missing teeth in their mouths. Based on the feedback Dr. Perry Brooks and Dr. Seth Brooks have compiled from years of working with local patients, here are the most popular reasons implants are chosen over dentures or dental bridges to replace missing teeth.
- Implants Are the Best Option for Maintaining Your Oral Health
Simply put, dental implants help you maintain a healthy jawbone. You see, your natural tooth roots don’t just hold your teeth in place, but they also help to stimulate your jawbone growth. When teeth are missing – or dentures or bridges which insert nothing into the jawbone are placed in your mouth – that jawbone stimulation is lost. As a result, your jawbone can shrink, affecting the “hold” that adjacent teeth have, and even changing your facial appearance as more and more jawbone tissue is lost. Since implants place a titanium rod in your jawbone, your jawbone remains stimulated so long as the implant is in place.
- Implants Are Permanently Attached to Your Jawbone
We already mentioned above that dental implants are permanently placed into your jawbone, stimulating its growth. But the fact that implants are permanently placed also provides some aesthetic benefits, too. You see dentures, which are removed every night, can sometimes slip and slide as you chew, bite, and speak, causing an uncomfortable situation for some Norman dental patients. But because implants are permanently placed in your mouth, your tooth crowns are never removed – except when your general dentist removes them to clean them at your biannual dental cleaning – so you don’t have to worry about an implant slipping, sliding, or falling out.
- Implants Look Like Natural Teeth
Most Norman dental patients looking to replace their teeth with dental implants are hoping for a natural-looking smile. Implants can provide that! Whether you are just looking to replace a single tooth or an entire archful, implants can be colored to best fit your natural aesthetics, and provide a smile you’ll be proud to flash around town.
- Implants Can Last a Lifetime When Cared for Properly
While dental implants may be more of an investment up front, they often pay for themselves over your lifetime because they rarely have to be replaced. Unless you have certain habits like nicotine usage (which is known to cause implant failure) or medical conditions like diabetes (which can also make it difficult for implants to fuse with your jawbone), you can realistically expect that your implants will last forever so long as you brush twice a day, floss daily, and go to biannual cleanings with your Norman dentist every 6 months – even if you have an entire mouthful of implants.
- Implants Let You Eat Anything You Want
Perhaps one of the main reasons dental patients choose implants is because they let patients eat and chew whatever they want. You see, with dentures and bridges you have to be careful what you consume because certain foods can cause dentures and bridges to break, or make dentures slip and slide. Implants, however, are the strongest tooth replacement system on the dental market so that you can enjoy anything from salt water taffy to crunchy peanut brittle.
Learn More About The Benefits of Implants
If the above 5 reasons aren’t enough to get you to consider getting implants over dentures or bridges, visit Dr. Perry Brooks or Dr. Seth Brooks to learn how else this tooth replacement system can benefit you.
Norman patients can book an initial consultation to learn more about their tooth replacement options by calling our practice today at (405) 329-3500.
