Life

Ask the Dentist: Implants 'can improve sex life'

Dentist Lucy Stock of Gentle Dental Care in Belfast says dental implants can give women back their mojo

In a US study women with dental implants reported the highest satisfaction in emotional and sexual areas
In a US study women with dental implants reported the highest satisfaction in emotional and sexual areas In a US study women with dental implants reported the highest satisfaction in emotional and sexual areas

IF YOU are post-menopausal and suffer from osteoporosis not only do you have to contend with being more at risk of breaking a bone but also there’s more chance of losing your teeth.

Fortunately there are some dental treatments that are coming out on top to give women back their mojo in both their work and social lives.

Osteoporosis, which literally means porous bone, is a disease in which the density of the bone is reduced. Our bones are living tissue and constantly changing. As we age, some of our bone cells dissolve bone while other bone cells make bone. This process is known as remodelling.

For people with osteoporosis, bone loss outpaces the growth of new bone, making the bones more porous, brittle and prone to fracture. The loss of bone occurs silently and progressively. Often there are no symptoms until the first fracture occurs. Osteoporosis affects up to 20 per cent of women aged between 60 to 70. Medical drug treatments are often prescribed to improve the quality of bone.

A new study by an American university examined the quality of life of osteoporotic women after treatment to replace their missing teeth. The survey focused on how replacing missing teeth impacted on their work and health and on the emotional and sexual aspects of their lives. One of the first studies of its kind, the results suggest that dental implants may be the best route to take when replacing the missing teeth.

The study found that the women with dental implants, connected to bridges or crowns that couldn’t be removed from their mouths, reported the highest overall satisfaction with their lives. After that it was women who had removable dentures that had been secured in place with implants.

Women who wore traditional false teeth without any implant anchorage gave a lower overall satisfaction in their work and personal life.

Women with dental implants also reported the highest satisfaction in emotional and sexual areas, while those who didn’t have their teeth replaced at all scored the lowest in those two areas.

This study highlights that having teeth replaced and fixed firmly back into your mouth not only means that eating and speaking are easier but also, as confidence increases after the teeth are replaced, that there’s a positive impact on emotional and sexual wellbeing.