Posted on: 12 September 2018
Losing teeth can leave you feeling self-conscious, but that's not all. If you have one or more missing teeth and you're struggling with gingivitis or periodontitis, it could be because you need to have your teeth replaced. Here's how getting your teeth fixed could make a big difference in the health of your gums.
How Real Teeth Work
When you have all of your teeth, they do a lot more than simply allow you to bite and chew. Teeth are hard at work beneath the surface, going all the way down (or up, if it's your upper row of teeth) into the bone that makes up your jaw. There's a couple of reasons for this: the bone helps to support the teeth, and in return, the teeth keep the bone healthy, too.
Every bite you take transfers pressure through the tooth deep down into its root. When you lose a tooth, this action is no longer performed wherever a tooth is missing.
How Implants Work
Dental implants, one of the best replacements for missing teeth, perform several of the same actions as real teeth. While dentures and bridges just sit on the surface of your gums, implants go down deep into the bone, just like real teeth. For this reason, they can transfer pressure and are supported by the bone just like your original teeth.
Stimulating the Gums
When your teeth are healthy, the pressure you apply to them spreads through your gums and encourages healthy circulation. Circulation is essential to your entire body: it helps blood to quickly move in and out of tissues, distributing oxygen and important nutrients. It also helps to move swelling and inflammation out of your tissues. When the stimulation is lost, your gums can become less healthy simply because they're not receiving this daily regular stimulation.
If you have your missing teeth replaced with dentures or a bridge, unfortunately, this stimulation won't be replaced. The tops of your gums will receive some pressure from biting down, but the deeper tissues won't. If you already have gum disease, a bridge or dentures are unlikely to help your condition. However, dental implants can.
Dental implants are the best way to replace your missing teeth, especially if you want to have all the functionality of your real teeth back. If you're tired of struggling with gum disease, dental implants can help to get your gum health back to where it once was when you had all of your teeth. Talk to your dentist if you want to start this process to get your entire mouth looking and feeling better.Share