When you’ve lost most or all of your teeth, dentures can help you enjoy a complete, functional smile again. But will they address all of the consequences of tooth loss? One of the side effects of missing teeth is that the jawbone starts to deteriorate over time; can wearing dentures help you avoid this problem? Here is what you need to know about dentures and bone loss.
Why Does Bone Loss Occur When Teeth Are Missing?
Teeth are essential for helping the jaw maintain its bone density. Every time you chew or bite down on something, the roots of your teeth stimulate the surrounding bone tissue. If you’ve lost your teeth, the jaw will no longer receive the stimulation it needs, thus leading to bone loss.
Can Dentures Help Prevent Bone Loss?
While traditional dentures can improve your everyday life in a variety of ways, they unfortunately can’t prevent bone loss because they have no way of providing the jaw with the necessary stimulation. In fact, if your dentures don’t fit correctly, they can potentially speed up bone loss.
So What Can You Do About Bone Loss?
Fortunately, dentures are not your only option for replacing missing teeth. There is another way to rebuild your smile while also putting a stop to bone loss in the jaw: dental implants.
By themselves, dental implants resemble small screws. They can be surgically inserted into the jaw so that they can serve as support for crowns, bridges, or dentures in order to replace any number of missing teeth. Because dental implants interface with the jawbone, they can mimic the functions of your natural tooth roots – including the prevention of bone loss.
Can You Get Dental Implants If You Already Have Dentures?
It is sometimes possible to switch from traditional dentures to dental implants. Before dental implant surgery can be performed, your dentist will need to confirm whether a sufficient amount of bone density is currently present in your jaw. If bone loss has already occurred, you might not currently qualify for dental implants. Fortunately, this issue can often be corrected with a bone grafting procedure.
Not only do dental implants help prevent bone loss in the jaw, but they also offer stability and chewing power that is almost on par with that of natural teeth. If you’re thinking of upgrading from dentures to dental implants, reach out to your dentist today to see what they recommend.
About the Author
Dr. Mohammad Golparvar attended a post-graduate program at the Boston University School of Dental Medicine, where he specialized in dental implants. Today at Webster Dental Associates of Manchester, he offers both dentures and dental implants to help patients with missing teeth recomplete their smiles. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Golparvar, visit his website or call (603) 669-4252.