Have you lost one or more teeth? If so, it may be helpful to have a discussion with an implant dentist about the types of food you eat. Many people don’t realize that diet can affect oral health.
Recent studies suggest that the inflammatory potential of your diet can impact your oral health. Specifically, researchers found that an anti-inflammatory diet may lead to fewer lost teeth.
In contrast, a pro-inflammatory diet may promote inflammatory diseases that include diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and periodontitis. Periodontitis, also commonly called gum disease, has symptoms that include redness or bleeding of gums while brushing. Periodontitis can lead to the loosening and subsequent loss of teeth if left untreated.
A good example of an anti-inflammatory diet includes relatively high consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, fibers, and green or black tea. By comparison, a typical pro-inflammatory diet may be high in carbohydrates, trans fat, or an overall high-calorie amount.
For good oral health, avoiding sticky, sugary foods that can lead to cavities is a good start. But don’t stop there. Try to create a healthy diet that doesn’t promote inflammatory diseases such as periodontitis. Doing so can help you keep more of your teeth and your general health.
If you have lost one or more teeth, you might want to consider dental implants. With a 98% success rate, they are the most popular choice for tooth replacement today.
The benefits of dental implants over removable restorations include the following:
Fill unsightly gaps in a smile.
Deter the bone loss that will occur when a tooth is lost.
When teeth are lost, the bone which held the roots of the teeth starts to dissolve, and removable dentures may slip or cause sores on the gums.
Fixed bridges and removable dentures usually need to be replaced every seven to 15 years, compared to an up to 25-year lifespan for dental implants.
When you lose teeth, you inevitably lose mass in your jaw, which affects the overall skeletal structure of your face, which may result in thin lips, drooping muscles, jowls or witch’s chin.
Spreading bone loss in the jaw also affects the gums and ridges in your mouth, as well as the muscles and nerves in and around the mouth.
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