{"id":1204,"date":"2021-08-27T17:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T17:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/?p=1204"},"modified":"2025-06-25T03:05:33","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T03:05:33","slug":"dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Dental Implants Lead to a Higher Life Expectancy?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"senior man and woman showing off their dental implants by smiling\" class=\"wp-image-1205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>These days, there are plenty of options to replace your missing teeth. However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/dental-implants.html\">dental implants<\/a> are the most widely preferred by dentists and patients alike. Unlike dentures and dental bridges, dental implants don\u2019t just sit on top of the gums. They also bring back the root structure of missing teeth, enabling them to look, feel, and function like the genuine article. But that\u2019s not all \u2013 dental implants have been linked to a higher life expectancy! Keep reading to learn three reasons why dental implants may help you live longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lower Your Risk for Gum Disease<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Flossing underneath a dental bridge can be difficult, making it easier for bacteria to thrive in that space. Additionally, it can be hard to thoroughly clean dentures. As a result, traditional tooth replacements are often associated with a higher risk of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/periodontal-therapy.html\">gum disease<\/a>. Symptoms of gum disease may start out fairly mild, like redness, tenderness, and bleeding when brushing or flossing. However, gum disease can greatly increase the risk of various systemic conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With dental implants, oral hygiene is essentially the same as it is for natural teeth. You should be able to brush and floss them as you did before tooth loss. Therefore, you won\u2019t be at additional risk for the potentially fatal health issues linked to gum disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eat a Healthier Diet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019re missing several teeth, or you\u2019ve replaced them with a bridge or denture, you avoid certain foods because they\u2019re difficult to chew. Unfortunately, these foods include crunchy fruits and vegetables, which are rich in fiber, contain essential nutrients, and are linked to improved cardiovascular health. If you\u2019re unable to eat these foods, you might end up with nutritional deficiencies and overall health problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dental implants restore almost all of the biting and chewing power you had with your natural teeth. Plus, you can count on them to stay firmly in place, unlike dentures that may slip. With dental implants, eating a healthy diet should be a snap!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Boost Your Self-Esteem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Having gaps in your grin from tooth loss can take a toll on your self-confidence. While dentures and bridges fill these gaps, they don\u2019t address an underlying consequence of missing teeth \u2013 jawbone loss. Without the tooth roots to stimulate the jawbone through biting and chewing, it starts to deteriorate, leading to a wrinkled, aged facial appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luckily, dental implants can prevent this problem. They stimulate your jawbone just like real teeth, helping you enjoy a confident, youthful glow. As a result, you\u2019re more likely to engage in health-boosting activities, such as exercising and socializing with loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By replacing your missing teeth with dental implants, you can enjoy not only a longer lifespan, but also an improved quality of life. Talk to your dentist today to get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/meet-the-dentists.html\">Dr. Matt VanderMolen<\/a> has been a trusted dentist in Springfield, IL for more than 30 years. He has earned a Fellowship with the Academy of General Dentistry as well as a Mastership of the American Dental Implant Association. At Advanced Dental Care of Springfield, he is able to surgically place dental implants himself, making treatment more convenient for patients. To learn more about how dental implants can improve your life, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/contact-us.html\">contact<\/a> Dr. VanderMolen at 217-546-3333.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>These days, there are plenty of options to replace your missing teeth. However, dental implants are the most widely preferred by dentists and patients alike. Unlike dentures and dental bridges, dental implants don\u2019t just sit on top of the gums. They also bring back the root structure of missing teeth, enabling them to look, feel, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Can Dental Implants Lead to a Higher Life Expectancy? | Missing Teeth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Not only do dental implants look and feel like your real teeth, but they may also increase your life expectancy. Here\u2019s how!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Can Dental Implants Lead to a Higher Life Expectancy? | Missing Teeth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Not only do dental implants look and feel like your real teeth, but they may also increase your life expectancy. Here\u2019s how!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219.jpg\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/27\\\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/27\\\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"smilespringfield\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cf25e2bb839cacb791e3d65d3cb2862c\"},\"headline\":\"Can Dental Implants Lead to a Higher Life Expectancy?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-08-27T17:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-25T03:05:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/27\\\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":564,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/27\\\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219-300x200.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/27\\\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/27\\\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\\\/\",\"name\":\"Can Dental Implants Lead to a Higher Life Expectancy? | Missing Teeth\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/27\\\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/27\\\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-08-27T17:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-25T03:05:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cf25e2bb839cacb791e3d65d3cb2862c\"},\"description\":\"Not only do dental implants look and feel like your real teeth, but they may also increase your life expectancy. Here\u2019s how!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/27\\\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/27\\\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/27\\\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/27\\\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Can Dental Implants Lead to a Higher Life Expectancy?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Advanced Dental Care of Springfield Blog\",\"description\":\"Just another WordPress site\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smilespringfield.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cf25e2bb839cacb791e3d65d3cb2862c\",\"name\":\"smilespringfield\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Can Dental Implants Lead to a Higher Life Expectancy? | Missing Teeth","description":"Not only do dental implants look and feel like your real teeth, but they may also increase your life expectancy. Here\u2019s how!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Can Dental Implants Lead to a Higher Life Expectancy? | Missing Teeth","twitter_description":"Not only do dental implants look and feel like your real teeth, but they may also increase your life expectancy. Here\u2019s how!","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219.jpg","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/"},"author":{"name":"smilespringfield","@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cf25e2bb839cacb791e3d65d3cb2862c"},"headline":"Can Dental Implants Lead to a Higher Life Expectancy?","datePublished":"2021-08-27T17:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-25T03:05:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/"},"wordCount":564,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219-300x200.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/","url":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/","name":"Can Dental Implants Lead to a Higher Life Expectancy? | Missing Teeth","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219-300x200.jpg","datePublished":"2021-08-27T17:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-25T03:05:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cf25e2bb839cacb791e3d65d3cb2862c"},"description":"Not only do dental implants look and feel like your real teeth, but they may also increase your life expectancy. Here\u2019s how!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/elderly_couple_smiling__1584632086_74219.jpg","width":800,"height":533},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/27\/dental-implants-higher-life-expectancy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Can Dental Implants Lead to a Higher Life Expectancy?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/","name":"Advanced Dental Care of Springfield Blog","description":"Just another WordPress site","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cf25e2bb839cacb791e3d65d3cb2862c","name":"smilespringfield"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1204"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1775,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1204\/revisions\/1775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilespringfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}