Every natural tooth forms a firm foundation on which loads are applied during chewing
to bring about breakdown of food and efficient digestion. The stresses and forces applied
to the tooth are absorbed b its firmly held root and dissipated into the bone surrounding
the root. Since dental implants replace missing teeth by much the same mechanism, the
strength to resist biting and chewing forces during mastication is much the same if not
more in a well osseointegrated implant tooth.
Also appreciable is the fact that dental implants bring back to a significant extent ,
the proprioception that existed when the natural tooth was in place. Proprioception implies
to the ability to feel the texture, degree of hardness and solidity of the food chewed.
Put simply, it is the ability to distinguish between chewing on grains of rice and to be
able to tell if some are uncooked, partially cooked or not rice grains but are some stony particles that have accidentally come about in the food morsel. This perception is missing when teeth are replaced with non implant supported removable dentures taking support only from gum tissue.