Issue 27.13
If you are missing or have damaged teeth you chew less efficiently and may be avoiding the variety of nutritious foods you once enjoyed because of fear of fatigue, pain, or even choking. Five percent of adults have no teeth whatsoever and those with removable dentures have less than 20% the chewing efficiency of natural teeth, not to mention less ability to feel, taste, and enjoy food.
Harder-to-eat foods are nutritious, but if you are determined you can find innovative and creative recipes and preparations and still get the nutritional value from them despite oral problems. However, if unhealthy refined and processed foods are substituted because they are easier to chew, not only does the risk for cavities increase, but also the risk for general health problems. Substituting foods rich in protein and vitamins for empty calorie foods can lead to loss of muscle mass and can compound the problem of declining vitamin absorption by the body that occurs with age resulting in increased risk of injury and disease.
One of the benefits of a healthy mouth is the ability to chew comfortably and enjoy a greater variety of foods that can make maintaining a healthy diet, and living life in general, more pleasant and easy. Dental implants are one solution that is part of the specialty of prosthodontics that can help maintain this quality of life for those with missing or hopelessly damaged teeth.
Rodney L Andrus, DDS, MS is a Prosthodontic Specialist at the St George Center For SPECIALIZED DENTISTRY and can be contacted at 435-674-3100. www.stgeorgedentalimplants.com