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Jawbone Health

Dental Implants and Jawbone Health

Missing teeth isn’t just a cosmetic problem. It also puts your gums at risk of decay and makes your jawbone vulnerable to deterioration. While many dental solutions can improve the aesthetics of your mouth, only dental implants can restore the appearance of a full set of teeth while also saving your jawbone from decomposition.

How Do Implants Work?

Dental implants consist of three parts. A titanium implant is inserted into your jawbone to replace missing tooth roots. Over time, this implant fuses with your mouth and becomes a permanent part of your jawbone. An abutment is attached to the implant, and the crown – which looks like a natural and healthy tooth – is attached to the abutment. Together, this system replaces missing teeth effectively and permanently.

Implants can be used to address any scope of missing teeth. An implant can replace just one single tooth, or multiple implants can reconstruct an entire mouth. As long as you are in good health and are willing to quit smoking if necessary, you are a candidate to receive implants.

It’s possible you may need all of the bottom or top teeth replaced, in which case a removable implant-supported denture system could be used. This requires at least four to six dental implants to harness the denture into your mouth. This makes them easy to clean, but allows the dentures to be affixed without the threat of moving or falling out.

How Implants Support Your Jawbone

The bones around your teeth don’t maintain their strength and durability alone. They require continual stimulation to maintain form and density. Your teeth are responsible for creating this stimulation during chewing and talking activities, but when teeth are lost or extracted, the bone no longer receives the stimulation it needs and begins to shrink.

As more teeth are lost, the bone suffers to a higher degree. Eventually, parts of the bone become so damaged that the jawbone actually begins to melt away.

Dental implants prevent this terrible process by continuing to provide the bone with its stimulation. If bone has already been lost before the implant process begins, it can actually be grafted and regenerated so that the implants have enough substance for anchoring. At the end of the day, dental implants are the only thing that can stop the bone from undergoing resorption.

Learn more about dental implants and their ability to reconstruct your own mouth by calling 19th Avenue Dental today. Call (425) 385-8130 today to schedule your consultation with Dr. Yamaguchi.