dentures 9People may grow frustrated with dentures when they slide in the mouth and slip at inopportune times. However, according to your Brighton dentist, Dr. Thomas Villani, living with dentures is definitely preferable to living without teeth at all. Tooth loss can have a tremendous negative impact upon several areas of people’s lives. One very important way that tooth loss affects people is by limiting their abilities to break down food. With fewer teeth, food tends not to be broken down as well when it arrives in the stomach, a situation which makes nutrient extraction more difficult for the body. Tooth loss may also lead people to alter their diets. Typically victims of tooth loss will avoid fruits, vegetables, and tough proteins in favor of softer carbohydrates that they will have an easier time chewing. Unfortunately, a diet that is so heavily skewed toward carbohydrates is not a healthy diet, and nutrient deficiencies and other health problems may develop.

Tooth Loss and the Jawbone

Many people are unaware that teeth are instrumental in ensuring the health of the jawbone. Their roots, which connect them to the jaw, transmit stimulating bite force to nearby bone cells, encouraging a healthy bone density in the jaw. However, when teeth are lost, the bone cells are left without a means of stimulation, and jawbone density may suffer accordingly.

Dentures do little to remedy this situation as they are held in place by the suction they create by covering the palate rather than roots that attach them to the jawbone. This lack of a permanent anchor also leads to the frustrations of slipping and sliding dentures mentioned above. Thankfully, Brighton Family Dental Group offers a solution for the jawbone and a lack of stability: dental implants. Titanium posts that are surgically inserted into the jawbone, dental implants can pick up where teeth’s roots left off, transmitting bite force to improve jawbone density while simultaneously acting as permanent anchors to keep dentures stable.

About Brighton Family Dental Group: Brighton Family Dental Group is located in Brighton MA. Featuring experienced dentists and an excellent range of in-office treatments, Brighton Family Dental Group is a great destination for any member of your family who is in need of dental care. Patients can schedule an appointment or a consultation with Dr. Thomas Villani by calling (617) 562-5210.