Missing teeth are a frustrating problem. You can choose to replace them, but those replacements often look fake. You can choose to leave them, but you’ll have to live with an imperfect smile.

Dental implants are an excellent choice for anyone who’s missing teeth. They offer plenty of benefits – but most importantly, dental implants can restore your perfect smile.

Here are just a few of the ways dental implants can put your pearly whites back in place and benefit your smile.

1. Dental Implants Look and Feel Like Natural Teeth

While there are a few different options for anyone who needs to replace missing teeth, none are comfortable or natural. From bridges to dentures, many common teeth replacement options look and feel nothing like your normal teeth.

However, dental implants actually do look and feel like your very own teeth. In fact, they’re designed to do just that – fit, function, and look as natural teeth would. Each implant is fitted to any spaces where you’re missing teeth. And you and your dentist will be able to customize the implant caps so they match the size and color of your existing teeth.

With dental implants, your smile won’t be the only flawless feature you gain. You’ll also be able to eat and chew normally. There’s no slipping, ill fit, or discomfort. Because dental implants are surgically inserted into your jawbone, you’re able to speak freely, chew tough foods, and live life freely.

2. Dental Implants Can Keep Your Other Teeth In Better Health

Did you know that leaving gaps in your smile can actually cause your oral health to deteriorate? When you lose teeth, those open spaces can alter the alignment of every other tooth in your mouth.

As the Tuscaloosa University dentistry department explains, a gap left behind by a missing tooth causes the teeth on either side of that gap to shift around. Your teeth will start moving into new positions. That can affect your bite, your ability to chew food, and your smile. Additionally, those gaps can trap food and bacteria, potentially causing gum disease.

Dental implants can prevent these issues entirely. They can actually improve your oral health overall. Not only will your teeth stay in place thanks to the support of the dental implants, but those with dental implants actually place better priority on their oral health. Instead of feeling embarrassed and giving up, you may find yourself more confident and more interested in properly caring for your teeth and gums.

3. Dental Implants Improve Your Facial Features

Here’s another way dental implants can help your health: they can preserve the natural shape of your facial features and jaw.

When you lose teeth, your existing teeth aren’t the only thing that changes. The empty socket and bone left behind actually degenerate over time, growing weaker and eventually shrinking. As a result, your jawbone begins to become more deteriorated – and it can change in size and shape.

Dental implants prevent this bone loss and keep your facial features as strong as possible. According to the University of Illinois College of Dentistry, dental implants preserve both jaw tissue and bone, which significantly reduces bone deterioration. Over time, this ensures that your jaw isn’t being reabsorbed by the body or changing in shape.

With dental implants in place, your facial features should remain strong and the same for years to come. While a deteriorating jawbone can make you appear older and sunken, dental implants will maintain your appearance.

4. Dental Implants Last a Lifetime

If you’re looking for permanence, you won’t find a better option than dental implants. While other options like bridges and dentures will need to be replaced over time, dental implants are a truly permanent replacement for your teeth.

Dental implants last a lifetime. This is partly because implants are surgically placed into the jawbone, making them unable to be moved or fall out. And it’s also partly because of the materials used to make the implants themselves.

There are a few different parts that make up a dental implant, and each is made to last. The implant itself is made from titanium, and the cap or cover for the implant is made of either ceramic, porcelain, or a ceramic-like material.

Learn More About Dental Implants for Your Smile

If you’re missing teeth and facing gaps in your smile, you don’t need to suffer a lack of confidence or dissatisfaction. In fact, you can achieve a flawless smile again – and dental implants can get the job done.

Before you decide on dental implants, it’s important to be informed. You should learn about the different implant solutions and whether or not they’re right for your teeth. You can easily search online to find dentists, dental implant information, and even free consultations to learn more from cosmetic surgeons in your area.