The dental community holds dental implants to be the best form of tooth replacement available, and it’s not just because they look and work just like real teeth. Recent studies have suggested that extensive tooth loss can reduce a patient’s life expectancy by limiting their ability to eat a wide variety of nutritious foods and negatively affecting their self-image. Here are some of the ways dental implants may be able to increase your life expectancy.
How Can Missing Teeth Decrease My Life Expectancy?
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, and researchers have found that people who are missing five or more teeth by sixty-five years of age are more likely to develop heart conditions. This demographic is also more vulnerable to diabetes and osteoporosis, which are both conditions that can shorten a patient’s life. People who retain their complete set of teeth by the age of seventy-four are much more likely to live to one hundred than others.
How Can Dental Implants Help Me Live Longer?
Your ability to bite plays a major role in your overall well-being. Many nutritious foods such as carrots, celery, nuts, and steak are chewy or crunchy, meaning that they require a working set of teeth to grind into an easily digestible pulp. Unfortunately, traditional dental restorations like dentures and bridges can have a lot of difficulty with these foods, possibly leading to the patient simply giving up on eating them. This loss of variety in a patient’s diet can deprive them of essential nutrients while also depriving them of the joy that comes with enjoying many different tastes and textures.
Tooth loss also takes its toll on a patient’s self-image. People who smile liberally are generally seen as friendlier, more approachable, and more confident than those who do not, which allows them to win trust, build connections, and close sales more easily. Unfortunately, people with extensive tooth loss can be shy about showing their teeth off, and this can take a massive toll on their social lives. Studies suggest that loneliness contributes to a plethora of health concerns while also making people live less happy lives.
Dental implants can provide patients with many social, physical, and mental health benefits. Scheduling a consultation with your local dentist can determine if dental implants are a suitable treatment for you.
About the Author
Dr. Tristan J. Parry earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery at Ohio State University and completed residencies in mini periodontics and mini pedodontics at the same school. He is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry and a graduate of the prestigious Kois Center in Seattle, WA. His office in Summerfield, NC offers general, cosmetic, restorative, and emergency dentistry as well as dental implants. For more information on how dental implants can improve your life, contact his office online or dial (336) 728-6153.