One down side of dental implants is that they may make people think that their permanent teeth are actually like baby teeth. If they are lost, they can just be replaced, and that means they can be neglected.
This thinking is wrong for baby teeth, and it’s very, very wrong for permanent teeth.
Poor Oral Health Is Unpleasant, Unattractive, and Unhealthy
When people imagine that they can just replace their natural teeth with dental implants, they may forget that it isn’t an instant process to go from your current, healthy smile to a set of dental implants.
Instead, neglecting your teeth will lead to a slow decline of your oral health. You will experience pain, which can sometimes be very serious. Your teeth will become discolored and unattractive. They may fail spontaneously when you’re eating or in public. You will have bad breath and may lose your sense of taste.
You can even experience life-threatening infections and may be at an increased risk for heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems.
Poor Oral Health Can Keep You from Getting Dental Implants
Having good oral health is an essential part of being a candidate for dental implants. If you have poor oral health, you may not be able to get your dental implants because of gum disease, jawbone loss, and serious infections.
You Won’t Know How to Care for Your Dental Implants
Taking care of your dental implants is basically identical to taking care of natural teeth. You need to brush, floss, and see the dentist regularly. If you don’t get practice caring for your natural teeth, you may be ill-prepared to care for your dental implants. This can cause them to fail and puts you in the position you thought you could avoid: lost teeth with no replacements.
Nothing Is as Good as Your Natural Teeth
Dental implants are great, but your natural teeth are even better. Made with a highly advanced fracture-hardened organic ceramic overlaid on a more flexible interior structure, your teeth have solved the difficult problem of being hard without being too fragile. They are not only integrated into your jawbone, they bound with strong ligaments. They have subtle surface properties that give them a complex, attractive appearance.
The longer we can keep your natural teeth, the better.
Sometimes We Lose Teeth Anyway
Nonetheless, despite our best efforts, we sometimes lose our teeth. In this case, dental implants are the best replacement option ever invented, one that closely mimics your natural teeth, and is almost as good.
Whether you are trying to take care of your natural teeth or need a replacement tooth or teeth, please call (509) 532-1111 for an appointment with a dentist at Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics.
