There are many reasons to invest in high-quality dentures. Dentures are beautiful, with a natural appearance far above that of traditional dentures. And they don’t just make your smile look beautiful–their ability to rejuvenate your facial appearance is truly remarkable.
But quality dentures are about more than just appearance — they can make a real difference in your quality of life as you get older. They can even help you live longer.
Be More Comfortable with Friends
Many people in Wilmington, NC feel insecure about their dentures. Often, losing teeth is stigmatized, and people don’t like to mention it, even to their friends. Even if their friends know, many people feel self-conscious about their dentures. If they have dentures that are constantly coming out of place, they are less likely to go out and spend time with friends. This is especially true for get-togethers that center around food, as many social events do.
Spending social time with friends is critical to your quality of life. Not only that, it is important to your mental health to spend time with people. Dentures that keep you from socializing rob you of an essential pleasure and impact your mental health.
Quality Dentures Help You Stay Active
Speaking of health, quality dentures help you maintain your physical health.
You might not think your dentures have anything to do with how well you keep active as you get older, but they do. Your teeth and jaw provide an essential anchor point for muscles stabilizing your head and neck. If your head and neck are more stable, your core can be, too. Without proper occlusion (contact between teeth or dentures), you are more likely to have balance problems and fall.
A study looking at elderly adults in Japan found that those without good occlusion were more likely to fall. But if they had good occlusion, either with natural teeth or with dentures, they were less likely to experience falls.
Another study in Japan looked at occlusion quality and found that adults with better occlusion were more likely to be in good physical shape. They were more likely to be fit, having faster walking times and overall muscle mass than those who didn’t have quality occlusion.
Enjoy More Foods
Many people are resigned to the thought that they have to give up certain foods when they get dentures. That might have been true in the past, but it’s not necessarily true now.
Yes, if you have cheap dentures, there are good odds you won’t be able to eat many kinds of foods. You just won’t have the bite force to bite and chew them. Trying to eat will dislodge your dentures, too. This makes it hard to chew and gets food stuck under the dentures, causing gum irritation and infections.
Quality dentures like FOY® Dentures give you better bite force and are more secure. This makes it easier to enjoy a better variety of foods.
We can put in a word here, too, for implant dentures. Implant dentures secure to dental implants, which gives you even better bite force and holds them in place. Implant dentures are so secure that they can be made without a plate covering your upper palate. Without that plate, you won’t just be able to eat more foods, you’ll be able to taste them better. Your palate has many taste receptors that get covered by traditional dentures. However, implant dentures free up your palate so you can taste more foods.
Better Bite Force Leads to a Longer Life
But studies have gone even further to show that the quality of dentures may make a difference in your longevity. In one study, they worked hard to distinguish that it wasn’t just teeth that made the difference in longevity for elderly individuals. Instead, they were looking specifically at the bite strength of each individual, so they divided their subjects into categories: those with teeth and those with dentures. In each group, they compared people according to their bite force.
They found that people with the strongest bite force had a 33% lower death risk than those with the weakest bite force. That’s right: quality dentures that give a stronger bite can cut the death risk of an elderly individual by 33%.
Researchers primarily attributed the difference to eating a wider variety of foods. It’s likely that staying active also makes a difference: when researchers corrected for muscle mass, they found that the effect was smaller. This means that some denture wearers who lived longer also had high muscle mass.
FOY ® Dentures use neuromuscular principles to ensure the best fit of the denture, which can increase the effective bite force. However, the best way to improve your bite force with dentures is to use dental implants.
Find Quality Dentures in Wilmington, NC
Quality dentures are about more than just a pretty smile. Instead, they can make a real difference in the quality of your life–and even the length of your life.
Want to learn about the best choice in quality dentures you can make? Please call (910) 392-6060 today for an appointment with FOY denture dentist Dr. Michael Kuzma
