How Do Dental Implants Affect Your Appearance?

What are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are one of the only teeth replacement procedures to come with a multitude of benefits. With things like dentures or bridges, there are many downsides and issues that are simply not present with dental implants. Dental implants can only be done by a certified oral surgical professional, so it is important to schedule an appointment to get the most information about the dental implant procedure.

Starting with a titanium rod forced into your jawbone, dental implants take six to twelve weeks to fully heal. They come with an aftercare regimen, and it is important to get this off to a good start. Next, an abutment is attached to the titanium rod. Following this, a crown is placed on the abutment. This crown does not need to be connected to any adjacent teeth, and it will not slip or slide once set.

Dental implants are the best option for maintaining the health of your facial bones and the wellbeing of your remaining teeth.

The facial changes that naturally occur in relation to the aging process can be accelerated and potentiated by the loss of teeth. Such esthetic consequences result from the loss of bone. A decrease in facial height from a collapsed vertical dimension can also cause several facial changes. The loss of the lower lip and the chin angle and the deepening of vertical lines in the area can create a harsh appearance.

Teeth are definitely in the top five for most important parts of the human body, and they should be treated as such. Whether it is smiling, eating, or just generally being helpful, teeth make a huge impact on daily life. Your teeth should last forever and be well-taken care of! Unfortunately, sometimes things beyond our control happen to cause dilemmas with our smiles. When it comes down to it, tooth decay is a major cause of self-esteem issues, bone deterioration, and dissatisfaction. Missing teeth can be unsightly and incredibly hurtful for all other aspects of oral hygiene. That is why people should heavily consider dental implants when their teeth up and disappear. Regardless of the reason why some of your teeth are missing, whether it’s being decked in the face or forgetting to brush one too many times, your smile is still important to you. You deserve a second chance at taking care of your teeth.

Do you want to restore your smile?

Dental implant benefits are numerous and range from aesthetic to medical. First off, it is important to note that dental implant surgery is risk-free with a 98% success rate. Individuals who have had the implantation done say that it hurts less than a routine tooth extraction, and the area is put under local anesthetic to numb the pain receptors. So, in addition to being a relatively benign surgical procedure, what do dental implants have to offer?

• Self-esteem. Other tooth-replacement options just do not cut it when it comes to repairing the sense of self that has been lost in conjunction with the teeth. Dentures cause a lot of distress because they slip and fall and fit uncomfortably within your mouth. When you’re eating, or kissing, or talking, they have the potential to move around and expose that you are missing teeth. This can seriously damage social interaction.
• Longevity. Dental implants last a lifetime. Other choices have to be consistently replaced and updated. With the titanium rod and sturdy crowns, you would really have to work hard to get them to go anywhere. They are durable, lasting, and just as strong as your original teeth.
• Health. Without a tooth root, your jawbone will decompose. This fact is relatively horrifying because the decomposition of your jawbone will lead to facial changes and an impaired oral capacity. The titanium rod buried in your jaw stimulates the bone in a similar fashion to a tooth root, which keeps the jaw from decaying. In addition, having all of your teeth keeps your remaining teeth from rotting and suffering due to the problems with the jawbone.
• A quality smile. Because dental implants are made specifically to match your previous smile, they are the best option for dental replacement. The crowns are formatted to fit and be shaped exactly like your teeth would be, and they are colored to fit right in with your other existing teeth. This means that smiling comes more easily, and more readily. It will feel more natural and look like you were never missing any teeth, to begin with.
• Immediacy. Dental implants give you the option to swiftly and deftly maneuver into life with all of your teeth. There is no lifestyle change to adapt to, no need for an adjustment period and no problem with any of your regular activities. They give you the opportunity to get back out there as soon as possible, no holds barred.
• A second chance. Regardless of why your teeth are missing, dental implants give you a second chance at taking care of your smile. They provide you with a healthier mouth, better-eating habits, and the opportunity to improve as a person. Dental health can influence health overall, and implants are the most natural tooth replacement option. Without having to go through the awkward circumstances of cleaning dentures or trying to smile without revealing the unsightly aspects of bridges, you get to start fresh. You get to shape your future, your perception, and your health.

Dental implant benefits clearly outweigh any hint of risk, and they are the vastly superior option. Tooth replacement doesn’t have to be a challenging, emotionally devastating process. It can be simple and easy, and you can get right back into the swing of things. Dentures and bridges do not offer the same sense of satisfaction and peace as dental implants. The quality of life improves with the addition of dental implants in place of other tooth replacement options, or even lack of teeth. They aid with improving health, and they feel so much more natural and comfortable than either.

Dental implant benefits are far better than any other option’s benefits; there really is no comparison. The long term improvements are impressive — the healing of the jawbone, the promise of teeth for a lifetime, the positively impacted dental health. They make all the difference, really. Change your life, love yourself, and keep your mouth healthy with dental implants. 

What if teeth are lost and the toothless area left alone?

As the vertical dimension progressively decreases, the loss of teeth to open and close properly (occlusion) evolves toward a malocclusion. As a result, the chin rotates forward and protrudes beyond a predetermined normal, facial appearance. Your bones need calcium, which is a precious resource. If your body believes that your jawbone is no longer performing its assigned duty, it will leach calcium from your jaw to use elsewhere in the body. This process of resorption occurs after tooth loss because the tooth was providing constant stimulation to the bone. Without that constant stimulation, the body believes that the jawbone has lost its usefulness.

These conditions result in making people who suffer from tooth loss (edentulism) appear unhappy when the mouth is at rest. Short facial types suffer higher bite forces, greater bone loss, and more dramatic facial changes with edentulism compared with others. A thinning of the lips results from the poor lip support provided by the prosthesis and the loss of expression.

In one study of 189 patients at different stages of jaw atrophy, the collapse of the lips and musculature were evaluated. It found that atrophy included inversion of the lips and hollowing of the cheeks. Women often use one of two techniques to hide this cosmetically undesirable appearance: either no lipstick and minimal makeup, so that little attention is brought to this area of the face; or lipstick drew on the skin over the border of the lips to give the appearance of fuller lips. The resulting bone loss creates “sunken cheeks” and wrinkles.

Loss of muscle tone is accelerated in the edentulous patient, and the lengthening of the lip occurs at a younger age. The attachments to the body of key muscles in the face, including the mentalis and buccinator muscles, and fusion of the mandible also are affected by bone atrophy. The tissue sags, producing “jowls” or a “witch’s chin.”

Your unique facial structure

Your jawbone, gums, and teeth help define your unique facial structure. Bone deterioration does not stop at the area underneath the missing tooth; it can progress to the bone under healthy teeth creating further tooth loss. Since the facial changes occur gradually, you may not notice them, but those around you may.

It is clear from the results that the loss of teeth can have a dramatic impact on the lives of some people. In one study, 45 percent of participants experienced difficulties in accepting the loss of their teeth. In comparison with people who had no difficulties accepting the situation, these people are more likely to feel less confident about themselves and are more likely to feel inhibited in carrying out a range of activities.

They are also less able to accept the inevitable change in facial shape which occurs following the loss of teeth. In addition, they take longer to come to terms with their tooth loss. Indeed, 36 percent failed to come to terms with their loss at all. This study indicates that the effect of tooth loss on self-esteem and self-image is not as short-lived as has, perhaps, been assumed.

How do dental implants help?

When dental implants are placed, the dentist is implanting a titanium post under the gums and securing it to the jawbone. The body reacts to titanium as it does to natural matter so once the implant is secure, the body will begin to deposit bone around it in a process that is known as osseointegration. This step in the process takes time but it is what gives your implant and new tooth the same stability that you have with your natural teeth. Essentially, the implant serves as a new root for your replacement tooth. The implant provides the stimulation that is necessary to indicate the jaws’ usefulness, effectively stopping the process of resorption.

The process of osseointegration can take several months, and during this time, you can wear a temporary denture. The good news is that the implant will begin to stimulate the jawbone from day one, so you will immediately stop the resorption process. Later, the new tooth will be secured to an abutment that is attached to the implant. The entire process takes time but is worth it, due to the long-term benefits of having a durable replacement tooth.

You need to replace your teeth immediately after losing them. Within the first year of tooth loss, you can expect to lose 25 percent to the width of your bone.  Choosing this treatment to restore appearance is a positive choice no matter what your age. We are here to help you decide if dental implants are a choice you may wish to make.