Tooth loss is something that more than half of Americans have to deal with – and that also means dealing with the issue of how to get those lost teeth replaced.
And they do need to be replaced. It’s not just a cosmetic concern. Adjacent teeth can drift into the empty space, changing the bite. This misalignment can lead to further dental problems or TMJ (jaw joint) issues such as chronic headaches and jaw, face, and neck pain. A bad bite can also make your home care harder to do well.
What’s more, with missing teeth, you’ll likely start to lose bone. Stimulation by the tooth roots is essential for the health of the jawbone. It’s a signal that nutrients need to be sent to the area. No roots, no signal. No signal? The bone can start to deteriorate, which has consequences for your facial appearance. That aged, sunken-in look that people lacking teeth develop over time? That’s the result of bone loss.
This is why zirconia dental implants are such a great option for replacing missing teeth. The implants effectively serve as artificial tooth roots and thus help maintain the health of the bone that they’re set in.
Bridges and dentures can’t do that. While you can still get good aesthetics and functionality from well-designed, well-crafted, and properly fitted prosthetics, they do nothing to stimulate the jawbone as natural teeth and implants do.
And if a denture doesn’t fit well, there’s another risk that can crop up: nutritional deficiencies.
Simply, an ill-fitting denture makes it hard to chew. It may be so uncomfortable that the wearer stops eating certain nutrient-dense foods because chewing them thoroughly is just too hard or unpleasant. Such nutrient loss is the focus of a study that recently dropped in the journal Cureus.
Nearly 200 patients at a university dental hospital in Tokyo took part. All wore removable dentures and had an average age of just under 73 years. Each completed a variety of questionnaires about their health, diet, and quality of life. Dentists evaluated the quality of their dentures, and a special gummy candy was used to test chewing ability. Blood tests were done to check each patient’s nutritional status.
The participants’ nutrition scores were then used to put them into one of three groups based on their malnutrition risk: low, mild, and moderate. Analysis of the data showed that three factors in particular were significantly associated with having a higher risk: being male, having a lower BMI, and…poor chewing ability.
Of course, this study, like all studies, had its limitations. For instance, some participants may have had aging issues that affected their nutritional status. Detailed dietary habits and socioeconomic factors also weren’t fully accounted for.
Still, the study offers a good reminder of the importance of chewing ability in maintaining good mouth/body health.
Regression analysis identified that male sex, low BMI, and impaired masticatory performance were significantly associated with malnutrition risk levels, as measured by the CONUT [nutritional status] score. These findings highlight the association between nutritional status, as assessed through blood test results, and masticatory function in removable denture users, underscoring the importance of oral health in maintaining and improving nutritional status.
Notably, this is less of an issue when dentures are supported by dental implants. Because they’re anchored firmly to ceramic posts in the jawbone rather than just sitting on top of the gums, chewing ability is enhanced. The dentures don’t shift or slide around, allowing you to bite down with more force and, importantly, confidence. You can eat much more naturally, handling a wider variety of foods with greater comfort.
While missing teeth might start as a cosmetic concern, the real story goes way deeper. Whether you opt for implants or conventional partials or dentures, what ultimately matters is how well you can bite, chew, and actually enjoy your food – because that’s what will help keep you healthy for the long haul, mouth and body alike.
