How Missing Teeth Are Hurting Your Quality of Life
If you have missing teeth, you know it dramatically impacts your quality of life. And you’re not alone, as over 36 million Americans do not have any teeth, and 120 million people in the U.S. are missing at least one tooth.
Missing teeth impact your ability to chew and speak properly and can cause facial sagging and jawbone loss. Perhaps your dentist has spoken with you about tooth replacement options. Dental implants are an excellent option for those with missing teeth and can help improve your daily life. Here’s what you need to know and what to expect before and after dental implants.
Before and After Dental Implants
Missing teeth can be stressful, to say the least. And when left untreated, your remaining teeth can shift into the spaces left behind, causing many problems. But that’s not the only concern. Before dental implants, you may experience the following:
- Embarrassment or low self-confidence from an imperfect smile
- Challenges eating, possibly having to cut certain foods from your diet altogether
- Frustration from difficulty speaking and articulating your words
- Jaw deterioration due to the lack of stimulation from normal chewing forces
- Food accumulation in the empty spaces that makes cleaning and home care more difficult
But these are no longer problems after you get dental implants. When you elect for dental implants to restore your smile, you can experience the following benefits:
Restored Chewing Function
Once your mouth has healed from your dental implant surgery, you can return to eating everything you love.
Improved Speech
Your teeth play a vital role in your ability to pronounce certain sounds. For example, if you were missing your front teeth, you may have had trouble saying words such as “chin,” “fish,” “sew,” and “zoo.”
Better Facial Aesthetics
Your facial structure will appear full and youthful again thanks to your new implants. You will no longer experience that sunken effect due to those missing teeth.
Stable Adjacent Teeth
Once you restore your smile with dental implants and crowns (or other final restorations, depending on your case), the adjacent teeth will once again be held in place. You won’t have to worry about shifting or mobility due to empty spaces.
Sustained Jawbone Mass
Your implants will help prevent bone loss because the implant post mimics the natural tooth root. This means it not only restores your smile from a functional standpoint but also stimulates the jawbone as you chew to help it maintain proper density.
Brighter, Healthier Smile
With form and function restored, your mouth will be back to optimal health. And especially if your treatment plan includes new implant-retained dentures, you’ll definitely feel like smiling again. Your mouth will feel more stable, and you won’t be able to wait to flash a smile for that next selfie or family photo.
Getting dental implants is easy.
Though getting your dental implants can be a time-consuming process, you’ll be able to enjoy your new smile before you know it. The process takes five to eight months from start to finish, and each appointment takes just an hour or two. This isn’t too bad when considering that you’ll have a new smile at the end for years to come.
So instead of pondering what it’s like before and after dental implants, check out the steps below and request an appointment for an evaluation so you can begin your smile makeover.
- You’ll have an initial consultation where we will take X-rays and form your ideal treatment plan.
- We’ll extract any remaining teeth that need replacement.
- As your jawbone needs to be strong enough to support the implants, we will do a bone graft if necessary. This will add another one to two months to the process. We can go ahead and place your implants into your jawbone if you do not need this extra step.
- Once your implants are stable, your dentist will place abutments on top of your implants to support the final restorations, such as crowns. We’ll then tighten the abutments to stay in place when you eat and speak.
- Finally, we can fabricate your crowns and cement them once they’re ready. That’s it! You’ll be smiling from head to toe (or at least from ear to ear).
Are you ready for dental implants near Granite City?
As you can see from our comparison of before and after dental implants, you’ll experience an improved quality of life after your new implants heal. So why suffer from a smile you dislike and low self-esteem that can all be corrected in just a few months’ time? Request an appointment today with Metro East Dental Care today to evaluate whether dental implants are right for you.
