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Show Your Teeth Some Respect

Think about how many times per day you rely on your teeth. You use them to chew breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. You press your tongue against them to make certain sounds when you speak. There's really no doubt about it — your teeth are important, and they deserve your respect. You can pay them that respect by visiting your dentist for regular cleaning and checkup appointments. You should also call at the first sign of dental pain, tooth discoloration, or other oral health changes. Read more about dentists and dentistry here on this blog, where we dive deep into related topics.

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Show Your Teeth Some Respect

Know How Natural Healing Allows Dental Implants to Work

by April Myers

One of the best options you can use to replace a missing tooth is to get a dental implant. However, you may not know why they are is so highly regarded for this particular dental problem. The way that your body naturally heals itself is why dental implants can be effective and successful at replacing a missing tooth. Here is what you need to know about dental implants and how they work.

1. How Roots Work

When the body starts growing its very first teeth, there will be roots that form deep into your gums and go into your jawbone. Roots play an important role in supplying the tooth with nutrients and even allow you to experience discomfort. The roots essentially become an anchor that holds your tooth in place and allows it to have its strength.

Dental implants are meant to simulate how that natural root works. It uses a titanium post that is inserted into your jawbone. The post is essentially an artificial root. The post won't need the nutrients that a real tooth needs, but it still anchors into the jawbone in the same way. Once the jawbone heals around the root, it gives it strength so that it will not move.

2. How Natural Healing Helps an Implant

Your jawbone wants to naturally heal on its own after a tooth falls out or is removed. The bone will naturally fill in the hole that was once there and become a solid structure again. If the implant is placed into the hole left behind from the tooth, the bone will start to grow around the titanium post. This is a process known as osseointegration, and it's why dental implants stay in place. 

Your jawbone also remains strong due to how frequently it is used. Every time you chew or bite down on something, it puts pressure on the jawbone that helps it remain dense and strong. If the jawbone is missing that pressure in an area because a tooth is missing, the bone will become brittle and thin due to not being used. 

3. How Bridges Won't Provide the Same Benefits

A dental bridge will only fill in the gap between your teeth by anchoring a tooth between two crowns. The artificial tooth never goes into the jawbone, and it essentially will react as if there is not even a tooth there. Your teeth may not shift with a dental bridge in place, but the jawbone beneath it can still become brittle and thin due to lacking the pressure from having a root inserted into the bone. 

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