Tooth Loss and Life Expectancy: How Dental Implants Can Help You Live Longer

Everyone has things they want to accomplish before they die, ideally of old age. Perhaps you want to play with your grandchildren or travel to certain places around the world. Needless to say, you want to have a long, fulfilling life with a long bucket list. However, if you have suffered from significant tooth loss, your time may be less than you think or hope it will be! Did you know that people who are missing their teeth have a shorter life expectancy than those who aren’t by as much as 10 years?

Although it might not initially make sense for such small body parts to affect your longevity, upon deeper inspection, it actually does! Learn more about this connection and what you can do about it by reading the information below.

Losing a tooth inherently doesn’t cause life-threatening conditions; however, the problems that usually go along with it can. For instance, those with gum disease—the leading cause of adult tooth loss—are significantly more likely to develop heart disease, uncontrolled diabetes, kidney disease, certain kinds of cancer, and Alzheimer’s, all of which can cut life expectancy short considerably.

In addition, without strong teeth and tooth roots to bite and chew, your food options become limited, often to unhealthy, processed alternatives. In other words, maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle becomes very challenging. Even with dentures, the jawbone also atrophies, making eating nutritious foods and other oral functions even more difficult