Dental Implants And Their Relationship With Food
If you’re seeking dental implants in Richmond it’s because you’re either suffering with missing teeth or are a long-term denture wearer in need of a change. Although implants have many great benefits, perhaps one that isn’t so well known is that implants give you the freedom to eat a wide variety of foods. This is unlike denture wearers or those with missing teeth. In effect when a patient is fitted with dental implants the relationship between food and false teeth no longer has to be a one-sided affair.
Let’s take a long-term denture wearer as an example. As the jaw thins due to ongoing bone loss, it can be very hard to keep the denture in place. When this happens foods such as crunchy vegetables, lean meats, nuts, seeds, and crisp fruits are often out of bounds. The trouble is that in many cases these are the type of foods that the body needs. Instead many denture wearers will often limit their dietary options through necessity rather than choice and instead opt for softer foods. While many soft foods are relatively healthy such as porridge and fish, some essential healthy foods are harder and firmer and therefore require a greater degree of chewing.
So why do we chew our food?
Firstly when we chew we break foods down into palatable pieces to aid digestion. However more importantly we chew because it’s the best way to extract all the essential nutrients from the food we’re placing in our mouths. These are the same essential nutrients that the body needs to thrive. There is varying evidence to suggest how many times we should actually be chewing our food but it’s somewhere between 5 and 30 times. The issue is that long-term denture wearers or those with missing teeth might not be physically able to chew food thoroughly and therefore will be likely to limit any nutrient intake the food may contain.
So where do dental implants come in?
Firstly unlike any other form of teeth replacement dental implants are a permanent fixture in the mouth. This means that they won’t slip or become loose, In addition once the titanium implant has bonded with the surrounding bone tissue it creates a super-strong structure. In fact, one that’s just perfect for chewing. Now for the first time since their missing tooth/teeth, a patient can eat normally, giving them total control over their dietary intake.
If you don’t want your relationship with food to be a one-sided affair and want to enjoy the foods you really love then come and speak to Sheen Dental about dental implants in Richmond. Check out our website at www.sheendentalimplants.co.uk or contact us directly on 020 8876 5277 for further details.