Osteoporosis is estimated to affect 200 million women worldwide – approximately one-tenth of women aged 60, one-fifth of women aged 70, two-fifths of women aged 80 and two-thirds of women aged 90. Of those, 9 million women are in USA alone. What does this have to do with dental implants? Well, with age, it has been shown that postmenopausal women are at greater risk of losing their teeth, entering a cycle of bone loss on her jaw and maxilla.
When a person loses a tooth, the remaining teeth start to shift and the bone around them decreases with time from lack of stimuli. Losing a tooth increases the chances of the teeth around it to fall later on. Osteoporosis accelerates these effects. People without teeth then have trouble eating a nutritious diet to keep them healthy, worsening the bone loss. They are not able to bite and/or chew their food.
During the last decade there has been a boom on using dental implants to replace missing teeth and restore functionality to the mouth. Recent research published on the Journal of International Dentistry suggests that the best option for women with osteoporosis who are losing teeth is to get dental implants. The study discovered that the quality of life of these women increases impressively. They were surveyed about their satisfaction with their replacement teeth in all areas of their lives (health, work, social, emotional and even sexual aspects). They had different treatments (single implants, bridges, regular dentures and fixed teeth bar) and were scored depending on their satisfaction. Women with a complete set of fixed teeth (bar or denture) scored highest in their overall satisfaction.
They can now go back to eat whatever they want. Higher dietary protein intake was associated with a lower rate of age-related bone loss. Also, fruit and vegetable intake was positively associated with bone density in a study in men and women. We can help you recover your smile! Call our agents toll free from the USA or Canada at 1-800-701-6039. You can even send you photos or x-ray on our contact page so our doctors can have a look and give you their preliminary diagnostic.