As times have changed, more and more people in the later years of their lives have become more active and health-conscious than the generations that came before. This more active lifestyle sees people who are possibly not ready or in fact not willing to have a loose set of dentures fitted. They don’t want to be worrying about them falling out or stopping them enjoying the lives they still actively live, many would feel more confident with a secure set of dental implants. But what – if any – limitations can people who have lived a long life expect with implants or more importantly, what freedoms may it have to offer?
What are dental implants?
Dental Implants in St. John’s Wood is a long-lasting and effective treatment for missing teeth, whether they’ve fallen out with age, decay or injury it is possible to replace one or more teeth with outstanding results, for a confident life full of smiles and eating favorite foods.
Once a natural tooth is fully extracted, a titanium implant can be screwed into the jaw bone, sometimes these implants have a special coating that breaks down inside the bone releasing a silicone compound that helps regenerate bones in patients with osteoporotic conditions. A waiting period is necessary for the bone to grow around the implant and fuse it in place, this period can be anywhere from 4-6 months after which a porcelain crown that is custom made to match other teeth is fitted onto the implant giving a secure and natural fit in the mouth.
The bone structure of the elderly
As people age, there is a noted loss of bone mass in the jaw, more so in menopausal women than in men – as women have seen a 1.5% loss per year and men only a 0.9% loss. This, however, does not mean that implants are out of the question; many studies have been conducted on the viability of implants in St. John’s Wood for older adults with promisingly high success rates. With digital imaging technology a custom diagnosis of each individual’s quality of bone can be made in order to choose implants that will best adhere to the jaw of these people.
The positive implications
One of the key benefits is that implants are permanent, which means that there is no concern of teeth or dentures falling out at embarrassing moments. Life can be enjoyed to the full when it comes to eating and chewing foods that would otherwise be impossible with dentures.
Implants look and feel like real teeth and patients will have no concerns or worries about hiding their smiles and can live their lives confidently knowing that not only their appearance is taken care of. They stand a better chance at having good oral hygiene due to the fact that they are easy to clean and maintain and the implants also help strengthen the jawbone preventing it from collapsing inward and creating a sunken effect.
Longevity is important and the longer someone can maintain a nutritious diet the healthier they will be, having healthy strong teeth is a vital element of maintaining good eating habits and implants may help with this in the elderly.
