Missing teeth affect more than just your appearance. After you lose a tooth, you may have difficulty eating, speaking, or keeping the rest of your natural teeth. Once you lose one tooth, you’re at higher risk for losing more. Dental implants can help protect your smile and your oral health.

After tooth extraction, schedule a consultation with our dental implant dentists at GR Family Dental as soon as possible. A tooth implant looks and feels natural so you can smile with confidence.

Improve Nutrition

Eating your favorite foods shouldn’t be painful. If you experience pain or discomfort while eating, call our dentists.

After tooth loss, it’s not uncommon for patients to eat soft foods. When you limit your diet to avoid tooth pain, you aren’t able to eat the nutrient-rich foods you need to stay healthy.

It’s important to understand how your oral health affects overall health. Your teeth, gums, and jawbone are part of a larger system. Not being able to eat a balanced diet can affect your bones, as well as increase your risk of tooth decay and jawbone deterioration.

Stop Further Tooth Loss

Your teeth are held in place by roots and surrounding teeth. This means that when you lose one tooth, you’re more at risk for losing subsequent teeth.

The best way to stop tooth loss from getting worse is to ask our dentists if you’re a candidate for the dental implant procedure.

Dental implants prevent further tooth loss by supporting nearby teeth. By giving the other teeth in your smile something to lean on, they’re less likely to become loose and fall out. Teeth that have nothing to lean on begin to tilt toward the open space unless they’re stopped by dental implants.

Prevent Tooth Decay

Missing teeth puts you at a higher risk for tooth decay. It’s harder to properly brush and floss teeth when they’re leaning toward empty sockets. Additionally, keep in mind that the empty sockets where teeth once were can trap food particles, bacteria, and plaque.

Most oral health issues (like gum disease) are caused by untreated dental plaque. The best way to maintain good oral health is to replace missing teeth and practice good oral hygiene.

Prevent Jaw Deterioration

Unlike other tooth replacement options, a dental implant acts much like a natural tooth root to stimulate jawbone tissue.

Your jawbone needs pressure from tooth roots to stay healthy. Otherwise, your jawbone will start to deteriorate and could even lead to facial collapse.

Many people with dentures experience jaw shrinkage, which drastically alters the shape of their face and overall appearance. The sooner you ask your dentist about dental implant surgery, the sooner you’ll be able to protect your oral health.

Even if you don’t have sufficient jawbone tissue to support full-sized implants, your dentist may recommend mini dental implants. Mini implants are less invasive and only take one appointment to place.

Protect Your Oral Health with Dental Implants

Our Grand Rapids, MI, restorative dentists use dental implants to help restore your smile after tooth loss. Call GR Family Dental today at (616) 455-3020, or contact us online to request your appointment.

This blog post has been updated.