Animals have many abilities that we, as human beings, do not. Bats use sonar to find things in the dark. Octopuses can change their color and their shape to blend in with their surroundings.
But if there is any animal ability we want, it is the alligator’s ability to regrow its teeth.
Scientists are actually studying this in hopes of figuring out if there is a some way this could be used to help humans in the future. Alligators can actually regrow a tooth up to 50 times during their lifetimes.
Until people can use that knowledge for our own teeth, we are glad we can offer dental implants to our patients at Dental Implants and Periodontology of Arizona. Implants may not be as cool as regrowing our teeth, but they might just be the next best thing.
If you are considering tooth replacement, we welcome you to visit our dentist office in Phoenix to find out more about how dental implants can help you.
Bite Force
Speaking of animal abilities, the alligator also happens to have the strongest bite force of any animal at 3,700 pounds per square inch.
Human beings have a bite force of around 200 pounds per square inch, but thankfully, that’s more than enough for the food that we eat.
Just to be clear, that is our bite force as long as we don’t have any loose or missing teeth. If you lose just one tooth, you start losing bone density in your jaw. This can affect the teeth closest to the gap in your smile if you don’t replace the missing tooth.
The longer you go without replacing that tooth, the more bone mass you will lose. With time, the teeth on either side of your gap could become loose and fall out, too.
And that just makes your bone loss speed up. Plus, more of your teeth will be at risk.
Will Dentures Do?
Dentures are a common as tooth replacement option, but dentures alone have limited benefits.
Yes, they can give you the appearance of having teeth, but your bite force is not close to the 200 pounds that you have with a full set of healthy teeth.
Thomas P. Connelly, a dentist based in New York, wrote about this very issue in a piece for The Huffington Post a few years ago. Dr. Connelly explained that people with traditional dentures have a bite force of between 5 and 50 pounds.
Let’s think about that for a moment. With dentures that are held in place by an adhesive, the best you can expect is a bite force of 50 pounds. That’s one-fourth of the 200 pounds of force you have with natural teeth.
That also explains why it’s so hard to eat things like apples, corn on the cob, steak, and even chewy treats like Milk Duds or caramels when you have traditional dentures.
Don’t get us wrong, we love mashed potatoes. We even like pudding, but we want to eat more than soft, mushy foods for the rest of our lives.
The Dental Implant Difference
If you really want to get back your bite force, then dental implants are your best option.
Dental implants are placed directly into your alveolar bone, just like the roots of your original teeth.
When you implants are placed, they stimulate new bone growth. This new growth holds your implants in place. It also keeps your bone healthy, which is good for any other teeth you may still have.
If you needed to replace a full arch of teeth, implants would go a long way toward restoring your bite force. Within a couple months, your bite force with implant-secured dentures could be 85 percent of your original bite force.
That’s 170 pounds of force. Compare that to 50 pounds with dentures alone.
With more time, many patients can regain their full bite force just by placing their dentures on implants instead of holding them in place with an adhesive.
How To Get Dental Implants
At Dental Implants and Periodontology of Arizona, we want our patients to have the best quality of life possible. That includes being about to eat anything that they want, any time that they want to eat it.
We can give you an implant to support a crown if you need to replace a single tooth. Implants can support dental bridges for patients who need to replace multiple teeth.
And as we mentioned, a set of strategically placed implants can support a set of dentures if you need to replace an arch of teeth.
We have seen the difference that dental implants make in people’s lives, and we are confident they can make a difference for you or for someone you love.
Our dentist office serves patients in and around Phoenix (and further away). If you would like to learn more about what dental implants can do for you, call our office at 602-842-6841 or use our online form to make an appointment.
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