A dental implant consists of a porcelain tooth connected to a titanium rod. The tooth is made to match the colour of your natural teeth and the rod is screwed into your gum. After a few months the titanium rod will have fused with your jawbone, so it's a permanent solution for replacing one or more missing teeth. Here are three reasons to opt for dental implants when replacing missing teeth:

Avoid Nutritional Deficiencies

Having missing teeth or wearing dentures can make it difficult for you to bite into fresh, nutritionally-dense fruits and vegetables without worrying about hurting your gums or dislodging your dentures. People with missing teeth often avoid a wide range of foods and stick to softer foods, but dental implants allow you to eat whatever you want. Dental implants are strong and secure; they won't move and leave you feeling embarrassed when eating out.

Prevent Bone Loss

Did you know that missing teeth can cause bone loss? The bone that once supported your teeth will start to disintegrate soon after you lose your teeth, and the longer you put off replacing your missing teeth, the more bone you'll lose. Eventually you won't be able to have your missing teeth replaced because the supporting bone structure will have disintegrated too much.

Additionally, bone loss around your mouth can cause your facial muscles to droop and leave you looking older than you actually are, and this is why people with no teeth often have sagging skin around their jaw.

Dental implants are the only tooth replacement option that can prevent or halt bone loss. As soon as the titanium rod fuses with your jawbone, it begins stimulating the bone in the same way your natural tooth did.  Living bone needs this stimulation to stay healthy and titanium is the only artificial material used in dentistry that can provide this stimulation.

Improve Self-Confidence

It's not unusual for people with missing teeth to avoid smiling or to cover their mouth when they laugh or talk. Missing teeth can damage your self-confidence and leave you feeling self-conscious when interacting with other people. Dentures can have the same effect as people often worry that others will notice the plastic frame their false teeth are attached to, which can look artificial.

Dental implants look completely natural and are made to match your existing teeth. There's no supporting plastic holding them in place and no-one will be able to tell you have a titanium rod screwed into your gum.

In addition to bone loss, missing teeth can cause other problems. Your existing teeth can begin to drift into the spaces and cause your upper and lower jaw to move out of alignment, which can damage your existing teeth and leave you with tight, painful jaw muscles. If you have missing teeth, schedule an appointment with your dentist (like those at Woodvale Dental Surgery) as soon as possible.