Holiday gatherings are all about spending time with family and friends and the centerpiece of these celebrations is often food.  Traditional family favorites are probably on the menu—turkey, stuffing, corn, cauliflower, broccoli, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pecan pie. When considering dental implants, you may have some concerns regarding what you can and can’t eat on the table.  Which of these foods should be avoided with dental implants?  The short answer is none of them.  The rule of thumb when eating with dental implants is to eat anything that you can cut with a fork.

Holiday eating and snacking can be embarrassing, even painful, if you have poor dental health like missing teeth or jaw-bone deterioration.  Removable dentures also present problems as they only restore 20-30% of your natural chewing capacity.

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According to aaid-implant.org, “The American Academy of Implant Dentistry aims to empower individuals considering dental implants through education and celebrate those who are already living a life full of smiles with their dental implants.”  In addition to offering great educational resources about dental implants, the AAID also sponsors the annual celebration of Dental Implant Awareness Month in September.  In honor of the month, we join the movement by asking “What’s your reason to smile?”.

Considering dental implants is more than a matter of vanity, but truly a matter of functionality. When comparing to dentures and bridges, patients who turn to dental implants discover that they feel, look, fit and function like healthy, natural teeth. Activities like brushing and flossing are the same as with their natural teeth. They are also finding that dental implants are a long-term solution to revitalizing their smile, as dental implants last many decades when cared for properly.

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Staying healthy as you get older means staying proactive and remaining informed about your dental care.   As National Senior Citizen’s Day is celebrated this month, we thought we would tackle a dental myth of aging: “I’m just too old for dental implants”.  Getting older does not mean you must live with taking your teeth out every night like your parents or grandparents.  Eating nothing but soft food is not the inevitable outcome of aging that most believe it to be.

Advances in dentistry have created several options for the replacement of missing teeth. In years past, it is true that the only option for the loss of all or most teeth was dentures or partial dentures.  While conventional dentures are and continue to be a treatment option, we are fortunate to live in an era that other options are available.  Unless you have serious health concerns, you are a good candidate for dental implants at any adult age.  “Too old” for dental implants doesn’t exist

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Summer brings barbeques, picnics, and family reunions.  What do all these events have in common—besides your favorite people?  Food!

Social situations involving food can be embarrassing when you have missing or deteriorating teeth.  Oral issues often mean having to miss out on summer food favorites to avoid an awkward scene.  When you are missing teeth, it’s difficult and messy to enjoy corn on the cob straight from the grill.  Deteriorating teeth makes a quick trip to with the kids for ice cream a painful experience.  Enjoying fresh fruit from the orchard like peaches or apples with ease is impossible.

Dental implants maintain proper chewing function, allowing you to eat your favorite foods with confidence and without pain.  Dental implants are the closest you can get to healthy teeth, restoring your smile and your bite to its most natural state. They function like your own teeth, allowing you to live the way you want to – confidently eating, smiling, talking—and enjoying summer events without worrying about your teeth.

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