10 Reasons Why Dental Implants are the Best Restorative Treatment (Part II)

Last week we looked at the first five reasons why dental implants are the best restorative treatment. Here are five more: 

Fuse With the Jawbone

After dental implants are placed in the jaw, they undergo a process called osseointegration. This is the process of the implant fusing to the surrounding bone, which takes about 3-6 months to complete. To function properly, osseointegration must occur during the healing process. No other restoration method is capable of fusing to the jawbone, and this is one of the main things that sets dental implants apart. 

Preserve Bone Mass

Dental implants are the only restorative method that can mimic natural tooth roots. Unfortunately, when teeth are lost, the jawbone no longer receives stimulation from the forces of chewing and biting. When this happens, the body will naturally start breaking down the calcium in the bone to use it elsewhere in the body. Since dental implants mimic tooth roots, they provide the jawbone with the stimulation necessary to preserve bone mass. This also means that your facial structure will not change over time like with dentures. 

Extremely Durable and Long-Lasting

Another benefit of having dental implants implanted into the jawbone is their strength and longevity. When the surrounding bone fuses around them, it effectively secures the dental implants in place. This means that the implant should not loosen as the result of normal chewing, biting, and speaking functions. Additionally, this also means that dental implants will last much longer than other types of dental restorations. On average, dental implants can last 10-15 years, but some have even lasted 20 years. 

Versatile Treatment

Dental implants can also offer a variety of dental treatments for patients with different treatment goals. For example, a single missing tooth can be restored using an implant supported dental crown. In cases where multiple adjacent teeth are missing, an implant supported bridge can be used. Finally, in cases where an entire mouth reconstruction is needed, an implant supported denture can be used on the top and bottom arches. 

Natural Appearance and Function

One of the final reasons are that dental implants can restore the greatest amount of natural function when compared to other restoration methods. This is because their strength makes them more resistant and prevents them from coming loose when dealing with the stress of chewing or biting. Additionally, dental implants have a highly natural appearance and many people won’t be able to tell that you have an implant instead of a natural tooth. 

As you can see, dental implants are truly a remarkable modern dental advancement for restoring decayed, damaged, or missing teeth. Reasons #1-5 evaluated their coordinating dental prosthesis, types, size, structure, and how they are placed. Reasons #6-10 focused on their ability to fuse with the jawbone and how this results in the preservation of bone mass, their strength and longevity, treatment versatility, and their natural appearance and function. Surely, these ten reasons show why dental implants are the best restorative treatment for the 120 million Americans missing teeth.