There are many benefits to keeping your natural teeth. When you opt for dentures or other solutions that cause you to remove healthy, natural teeth, it can feel like you’re losing a part of yourself. Adjusting to this can be can be tough mentally and emotionally.
Beyond how you feel about your oral health, keeping your natural teeth is generally the best option for avoiding bone loss. By removing natural teeth, your jaw bone loses the stimulation that keeps your bone regenerating. This bone loss can lead to complications, including further tooth loss. No artificial replacement can ever function as well as your natural teeth, so it’s best to do what you can to protect them.
How Can You Save Your Teeth?
The only way to maintain the health of your teeth is through a regular oral health routine. Just brushing isn’t enough. You have to be sure to floss and use a fluoride rinse too. It’s also important to address problems as they arise, rather than putting them off and allowing them to get worse. A small cavity addressed early requires a small filling. When left alone it suddenly becomes a bigger cavity that requires root canals or extractions.
As part of your oral health routine, make sure you visit your dentist annually and get biannual cleanings. By having regular visits and not putting off addressing issues, you can nip them in the bud before they become more serious. There are ways to make these things affordable, and preventative care will always be cheaper than the aftermath of a big problem. Especially if you’ve had problems in the past or have a family history of oral health issues.
Options For The Replacement Of Teeth
If you do find yourself in a situation where you have to replace missing or damaged teeth, there are a variety of options that will allow you to keep more of your natural teeth and avoid bone loss. Dental implants and implant supported dentures are two options that will either keep your natural teeth or simulate the effect of natural teeth.
Whatever method you choose for the replacement of your missing teeth, it’s important that you continue to maintain your oral health routine to ensure that the replacement procedure is successful. Contact Dr. Raymond Kenzik’s periodontal office in Ormond Beach, FL to discuss which options would be right for you.