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Do you have gaps in your smile as a result of missing teeth? If so, you have probably at least considered dental implants as a means to fill those spaces. You’re sick and tired of being self-conscious of your incomplete smile, and luckily, dental implants are by far the best way to restore your oral health and your grin back to what they once were. Keep reading to learn four ways that dental implants can give you a confidence boost.

1. Stay Looking Young

When you’re suffering through tooth loss, your jawbone no longer receives stimulation from the roots of those lost teeth through biting and chewing. Your jawbone then begins to atrophy. This shrinks the contours of your jaw, which can cause your lips to wrinkle and your mouth and face to become sunken. By thoroughly integrating with your jawbone, dental implants essentially become a part of your own anatomy, preserving the health and structure of your jawbone to keep you looking young for years to come.

2. Eat Whatever and Wherever You Like

For people with missing teeth or loose dentures, going out to eat can be uncomfortable at best and humiliatingly awkward at worst. Depending on where in your smile the gaps are, missing teeth can severely restrict what types of food you’re capable of eating. Poorly fitting dentures can come loose while chewing. Because dental implants fully integrate with your jaw, they’re stable and sturdy enough to withstand chewing forces in the exact same way that your natural teeth did. Therefore, you can eat in public without embarrassment.

3. Speak Clearly and Confidently

If you wear ill-fitting dentures, just the act of talking might cause them to slip around. You might consequently slur your speech or mumble. For those with gaps in their smile, speaking might create whistling or lisping sounds. Since dental implants are firmly anchored in the mouth, you don’t have to worry about them slipping or creating speech problems.

4. Long-Lasting Confidence

Other tooth replacement options like bridges or dentures must be replaced every few years. The cost of getting a new bridge or denture can add up over time. Dental implants might seem expensive up front, but they’re all but guaranteed to last for thirty years or even longer, provided you take excellent care of them. In the long run, you’ll be saving quite a bit of money!

About the Author

Dr. Benjamin Naylor is a general and implant dentist in Springfield, OR. He has a special interest in the surgical aspects of dentistry, including placing and restoring dental implants. He has taken advanced implant courses through groups such as the Spear Institute and the Osteoready Institute. If you’re suffering through tooth loss and want to regain the self-confidence you had with a natural-looking and -feeling smile, contact Dr. Naylor’s practice at (541) 345-5363.