If you have lost a tooth, you may be torn between having a dental implant installed or leaving the tooth missing. A missing tooth can certainly affect your appearance and your confidence, but it can also cause problems with your other teeth. A dental implant restores the appearance of your smile, but it can actually be good for the rest of your mouth too. Here is why:

Dental implants can keep your teeth from becoming crooked.

A dental misalignment can occur when teeth have extra space to shift out of their original position. This space is provided by a missing tooth. The dental implant is placed in the same spot from which the tooth was extracted. Once installed, the dental implant acts as a place-keeper for the teeth that are next to it.

If a dental implant is not installed or the space is not filled by other means, the misalignment that may result will need orthodontic correction. This can be time-consuming and uncomfortable. The cost of a full set of conventional metal braces is about $3,000 - $7,000. More discreet forms of dental alignment are even more expensive. For instance, lingual braces are priced between $8,000 and $10,000. In addition, Invisalign is usually between $4,000 and $7,400. The expense of orthodontic correction can be avoided by simply having a dental implant installed soon after the tooth is lost or extracted.

Dental implants help ensure that the density of your jawbone is preserved.

Jawbone density is important because the jawbone holds the roots of teeth in their sockets. If a jawbone loses too much mass, the teeth can loosen and actually be prone to falling out. A dental implant provides the simulation needed for a jawbone to continue to form new cells that maintain its density. 

The pressure that comes from chewing on food is what stimulates the jawbone. With a dental implant, the implanted rod or screw rests in the jawbone just as the natural root of a tooth does. The chewing and biting produces the same stimulation even though the implant is a prosthetic replacement.

If you are interested in having a dental implant installed to replace a lost tooth, schedule a consultation with a dentist like Thomas H. Seal DDS. Dentists can review your dental and medical records to determine whether or not you are a suitable candidate for this dental treatment. Don't wait, as this process should be taken care of soon after a tooth is removed.