If you are thinking about getting dental implants, the main thing you think about when you consider their benefits is that having them will help you eat your favorite foods again. You may also enjoy the thought of being able to flash a big smile without being self-conscious about your missing teeth. 

While they do help in these areas, dental implants can also prove beneficial to your overall dental health and appearance. Below are a couple of the benefits of getting dental implants that you may not have known about.

1. Keeps the Alveolar Ridge Along Your Jawbone From Losing Bone Mass

One major benefit of getting dental implants is that it keeps you from losing bone mass along the alveolar ridge of your jawbone. When your natural teeth fall out or are removed, this ridge no longer receives the right amount of stimulation to encourage the jawbone to grow and heal. 

Over time, the bone will lose mass and start to become brittle, making it more likely to crack or break. However, when you have dental implants, the posts that are implanted into the alveolar ridge help to restimulate the bone to disrupt the deterioration of the bone so that it can heal and become stronger.

2. Helps Restore the Appearance of Your Facial Features Around the Jawline

Besides giving you your smile back, another benefit of dental implants that you may not have thought of is that they can help restore the overall appearance of your facial features, especially around your jawline. When you have missing teeth, the buccal tissue of your cheeks no longer has a solid structure to keep the tissue in place.

Over time, your cheeks will start to sink in, and your skin will being to sag. However, once the dental implants are inserted, they will push against the cheeks to help give them structure once again, which can help give you a more youthful appearance.

When you get dental implants, they not only help you to eat more easily and give you your smile back, but they also help keep your jawbone from losing bone mass and becoming brittle. They also help to restore your facial features by filling in the sunken areas left by the missing teeth and helping to plump up your cheeks.

Make an appointment with a dentist in your area to learn more about dental implants and if they're right for you.