If you have several gaps in your mouth due to missing teeth, you may not realize that these gaps could be posing risks to your oral health. To reduce these risks, you may want to consider having the teeth replaced. While there are several ways to achieve this, choosing dental implants is the best option. Replacing your missing teeth with implants will also help you look better and feel more confident with your smile and speech. Here are several things you should understand about this subject.

The Oral Risks Of Having Gaps

The gaps caused by missing teeth can make it harder for you to eat and speak, and it can be embarrassing if the gaps are noticeable when you smile or talk. While these issues are all important, there are issues that are even more important than these. The first issue involves the way these gaps can lead to bone loss.

Each time you chew or use your teeth, they are actually stimulating the bone in your jaw. This stimulation helps the bone stay healthier and can help it rebuild itself. When you are missing several teeth, the bone in these areas does not receive the stimulation it needs. As time goes by, the bone in these areas will begin to wear away. This can spread through the rest of your jaw bone, and it can lead to sinking of the face and a loss of other teeth.

In addition, when your bone begins to wear away, your gums will begin to recede too. This can lead to open pockets in the gums, which is the perfect place for gum disease to form. It's also important to realize that your teeth serve many roles, and one role is to protect your gums. If you have gaps in your mouth, the gums in these areas are exposed. This can make it easier for your gums to become inflamed or infected, and this can end up leading to the development of gum disease.

Why Dental Implants Are The Best Option

If you want to look nicer and reduce the risks of oral health problems, you should consider getting your gaps filled in with artificial teeth. Dental bridges are one option you could choose; however, dental implants are a better choice. Dental implants last longer than bridges, and dental implants do not affect any of the surrounding teeth in your mouth. They are independent artificial teeth, and they work and look just like real teeth.

Getting dental implants is not something you should wait to do, though. A dental implant is inserted into the bone in your jaw, and there must be enough bone for this to occur. If you wait too long, your bone mass might not be dense enough to support the implant, and you would then have to go through a bone grafting process first. Bone grafting is quite common, but it will cost more to go through, and it will prolong the time it takes for you to get your implant.

Once you get dental implants, you will have to care for them just like your other teeth. With the right oral care, your dental implants could last your entire life, and you will no longer have to worry about all the risks associated with having gaps in your mouth.

Teeth are a vital part of life, and that is why keeping your teeth healthy should be a priority. If you are missing some teeth and are interested in finding out what your options are, you should contact a dentist that specializes in dental implants in your area.