Tooth Loss and Life Expectancy: How Dental Implants Can Help You Live Longer

Everyone has things they want to accomplish before they die, ideally of old age. Perhaps you want to play with your grandchildren or travel to certain places around the world. Needless to say, you want to have a long, fulfilling life with a long bucket list. However, if you have suffered from significant tooth loss, your time may be less than you think or hope it will be! Did you know that people who are missing their teeth have a shorter life expectancy than those who aren’t by as much as 10 years?

Although it might not initially make sense for such small body parts to affect your longevity, upon deeper inspection, it actually does! Learn more about this connection and what you can do about it by reading the information below.

How Tooth Loss Can Lead to a Shorter Lifespan

Losing a tooth inherently doesn’t cause life-threatening conditions; however, the problems that usually go along with it can. For instance, those with gum disease—the leading cause of adult tooth loss—are significantly more likely to develop heart disease, uncontrolled diabetes, kidney disease, certain kinds of cancer, and Alzheimer's, all of which can cut life expectancy short considerably.

In addition, without strong teeth and tooth roots to bite and chew, your food options become limited, often to unhealthy, processed alternatives. In other words, maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle becomes very challenging. Even with dentures, the jawbone also atrophies, making eating nutritious foods and other oral functions even more difficult.

How to Correct Gum Disease and Tooth Loss

Even though gum disease has no cure, it can be treated and managed. If you have remaining teeth, they can be deep cleaned frequently to remove inflammation-causing bacteria. In cases where jawbone loss has occurred, bone grafts can be surgically inserted into weak areas, promoting new growth.

Fortunately, the gaps in your smile can also be treated. The replacement option most dentists recommend is dental implants because they offer much more stability and long-term benefits. Attaching directly to the jawbone, implants stop deterioration and become solidly anchored, enabling you to enjoy most of your original biting power and lead a healthier lifestyle.

Of course, traditional dentures are also available, giving you the ability to eat more foods than you would without any replacement teeth at all. With digital impressions, your dentist can provide dentures that fit more comfortably than in the past. However, dentures alone do nothing to stop jawbone deterioration, meaning that life expectancy is still reduced by about 10 years. In other words, dental implants are the next best thing to getting your natural teeth back and can help you enjoy all the fulfilling adventures ahead of you.

In the end, you have too much you want to do to settle for a shorter lifespan. You should spend it however you choose, but unless you take care of your mouth, you may not have as much time as you’d like. Don’t let gum disease and tooth loss stand in your way!

Do you have questions about tooth loss? Ask them here.