Maybe you didn’t even know you had to think about how menopause could affect your missing tooth replacements, but it’s true. Similar to pregnancy gingivitis, hormonal shifts during menopause impact your oral health – and how well your mouth is able to support dental implants.
There good news is that whether you already have a dental implant restoration or are considering getting one, there are steps you can take to mitigate menopause-related complications. Here’s what you need to know!
How Menopause Affects Oral Health
As you might know, a couple of different hormones fluctuate during menopause. The two that are most relevant to your oral health are estrogen and progesterone.
Along with helping to regulate your mood and sexual health, estrogen also promotes bone strength. When it declines, the risk of developing osteoporosis (a disease that reduces bone mass and bone density) actually increases. Ultimately, this can lead to a weakened jawbone.
The dramatic drop in progesterone, meanwhile, is associated with severe dry mouth. Without the presence of saliva to neutralize harmful oral bacteria, it becomes easier for gum disease and cavities to develop.
How Oral Health Affects Dental Implants
Much like natural teeth, dental implants rely on two things to stay in place: the jawbone and healthy gum tissue. If the jawbone weakens or thins out, the implants could break apart from the bone and come loose. If the gums are infected with gum disease, the tissue may start to pull away from the restoration, leaving it with nothing to hold onto.
To sum everything up: decreased levels of estrogen and progesterone during menopause can increase risk of jawbone weakness and gum disease, therefore also increasing the risk of dental implant failure.
Preventing Dental Implant Complications During Menopause
Now, your prevention plan during menopause will be slightly different, depending on whether you already have dental implants or not.
If you’re still considering your tooth replacement options, prevention will likely look like this:
- Taking advanced scans of your mouth to check on jawbone density
- Placing your dental implants along the thickest areas of your jawbone
- Exploring ways to compensate for hormone fluctuations
If you’re currently enjoying a dental implant restoration, then prevention is likely going to focus more on offsetting those hormone shifts. Your dentist might recommend:
- Consulting with your physician about prescribing medication or recommending supplements
- Eating a vitamin D- and calcium-rich diet
- Considering hormone replacement therapy
Regardless of your exact situation, you can expect your dentist to guide you every step of the way! Don’t hesitate to talk to them about how menopause could affect your oral health and dental implants.
About the Author
Dr. Todd Balington is an experienced family dentist who proudly serves patients of all ages. He particularly enjoys supporting patients’ smiles with quality dental implant restorations. To see how Dr. Balington can help guide your dental implant treatment during menopause, contact his office at 940-383-3300.