This blog post from The Sugar House Dentist in Salt Lake City focuses on missing teeth, bone health, and dental implants.
Our teeth, of course, have many vital functions. We need them to chew our food, talk, and smile. But have you ever considered their role in holding up your face? When we lose teeth, the bone around the site of the extraction begins to recede. This, in turn, causes our facial muscles to sink in and collapse.
Bone Metabolism
We sometimes think of bone as a solid mass, unlike the softer tissues in our body. In reality, below the seemingly rock-hard surface, bone tissue is full of small holes, kind of like a sponge. In the interior bone tissue, the bone is continuously regenerating itself. This crucial process is sometimes called “bone metabolism.” In the jaw bone, the movement of the teeth stimulates this process of rebuilding. When the tooth is gone, the bone starts to shrink as blood flow is reduced.
People with missing teeth not only have an unsightly gap in their smile, they begin to look older because of the bone recession and eventual facial sagging. It is not simply an issue of attractiveness—it poses serious health perils. It may become difficult to chew food, making it harder to get proper nutrition. Mental health can also be affected when a patient with missing teeth loses confidence or withdraws from social situations because they are embarrassed by their smile.
Dental Implants Can Prevent Bone Recession
Modern dentistry to the rescue! Dental implant technology provides a tooth restoration solution that retains healthy bone metabolism while providing near-normal tooth function. A single dental implant can replace a single missing tooth. Multiple dental implants can support a set of dentures.
To find out more about dental implants, call The Sugar House Dentist in Salt Lake City.
Contact The Sugar House Dentist:
801-618-0197
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
1955 S 1300 E Ste L2
Salt Lake City, Utah
84105
