Athletes and others who participate in team sports, martial arts, or other high-contact activities may be more likely to lose adult teeth, partly because they are at a greater risk of sustaining injuries that can damage, destabilize, or completely dislodge one or more of them.
Many experts consider dental implants the ideal way to rebuild because they are surgically embedded in the jawbone, which provides unique benefits over dentures or bridges. Continue reading to learn about 3 ways these lifelike replacements can help restore your smile’s function and appearance, so you can go back to competing with peak confidence!
Advantage #1: Customizable Materials
Many professional athletes understand that a successful performance is born from confidence in your abilities. After all, belief in yourself and your skills is necessary for taking the calculated risks that so often lead to success.
Unfortunately, gaps in your grin left behind by missing teeth can leave you feeling self-conscious about your ability to eat, speak, or smile normally. You might feel anxious or so worried about being judged for the changes to your smile that you lose your competitive edge. Thankfully, dental implants are made from biocompatible materials that can be customized to look and feel more realistic than alternative treatment options, which can improve your self-esteem and help carry you to victory.
Advantage #2: Unique Placement
Not only do these restorations look more lifelike than bridges or dentures, but they also function more like normal teeth, too. For instance, they’re the only replacement teeth embedded directly in your jaw and that eventually fuse with the bone structure, making them a more permanent part of your mouth.
That means they’re less likely than the alternatives to become destabilized or dislodged at inopportune times, such as during a meal, conversation, or in the middle of a practice session, game, match, or performance. You’ll be able to eat a wider variety of wholesome foods to support your oral and overall well-being, knowing they’ll remain firmly in place, and you can still wear your custom-fitted mouthguard securely.
Advantage #3: Protect Your Jawbone
There are additional consequences of tooth loss that some top performers might be unaware of. For instance, without a root in place to stimulate new bone growth each time you bite down, your jaw could lose up to 20% of the surrounding density when a tooth falls out. This process of degeneration only worsens the longer it’s left untreated, and your mouth can eventually become too frail to support your remaining teeth. This can result in changes to your facial structure, such as a protruding chin, sunken cheeks, or sagging, wrinkling skin, that detract from your self-image and confidence levels.
Dental implants are the only replacement teeth positioned in your jaw to function more like natural teeth, protecting and preserving a more youthful visage so you look and feel like the most self-assured version of yourself, which can help you secure the win on the field or in the follow-up interviews and press conferences.
If you’re unsure whether you’re a good candidate for getting dental implants, you can learn more by scheduling an appointment with your dentist!
About the Practice
Patients at Jacksonville Dental Specialists benefit from three experts who are passionate about helping them build and maintain the happiest, healthiest versions of their smiles. With a prosthodontist and two periodontists in the office, they offer a variety of top-quality services, including dental implant placement and restoration, to meet your unique needs under one roof. Their caring approach is paired with state-of-the-art equipment to deliver beautiful, reliable results meant to last. If you need to replace missing teeth, you can request an appointment on the website or call (904) 683-4781.