Your Teeth Are Getting Older

By Ivan Hendrickson, DDS

No one wants to hear that we are getting older, but the truth is that today our population is getting older, and so are their teeth. As recently as 1960, more than two-thirds of the population over the age of 75 had no teeth. Now only about one-third of older people are without teeth. Treating today’s dental population requires more restorative, conservative, and preventive care of the existing teeth. That is because patients are living longer and want to keep their teeth for a lifetime.

Teeth go through life too, and they age just like the rest of the body. The nerves in older people’s teeth are smaller and their sensitivity to certain stimuli is actually less. They also tend to be more brittle, leading to more tooth fractures and making it more difficult to restore older teeth.
As patients age, many need assistance with their daily personal care. A number of studies have suggested that effectively brushing your teeth, and taking care of your oral health, is more complicated than most normal daily activities. With aging it gets to be an even greater challenge, and the disease processes such as decay, gum disease, and destructive bite forces, continue throughout life.

The good news is that dentistry is advancing to meet the needs of an aging population. Good oral hygiene and regular dental visits, along with new electric toothbrushes and even implants, are helping an aging population smile and function for a lifetime. Most modern dental offices are sensitive to the special needs, and the importance of dental health, in the older patient.

Yours for better dental health, Dr. H.