How to Keep Your Teeth Well into Your Later Years

Many people may assume that losing your teeth and eventually getting dentures as you get older is just the way things are. You may have grown up around grandparents with dentures, or you see commercials promoting denture adhesives throughout your life, and you just assume that you’ll lose your teeth when you get old. Well, that doesn’t have to be the case. Many people live their whole lives without losing any or only losing a few of their adult teeth.

Part of the reason it seems so many old people have dentures may be because of dental practices several years ago. It may have been cheaper and easier to simply remove decaying or damaged teeth rather than performing root canals and other more complex procedures to restore and preserve the tooth. That’s not the main cause of tooth loss, though. Periodontal disease is what primarily causes tooth loss in adults.

Even when little or no tooth decay is present, periodontitis (or disease of the gums and other tooth support structures) can be causing damage below the gum line. Bacteria can eventually destroy the gums and bone tissue that are vital to keeping teeth healthy and firmly in place. As bone loss occurs, teeth become loose and can eventually fall out.

For these reasons, it’s every bit as important to care for the health of your gums as it is to make sure your teeth are free of decay. Arizona Periodontal Group (or another qualified periodontist in your area) can assess the health of your gums and let you know if any steps need to be taken to restore and maintain periodontal health. Using a variety of procedures, including periodontist laser treatment, a skilled periodontist can eliminate infections in the gums and even recontour the gum line in cases of gum recession.

Keeping your Teeth Straight

In 2008 about 4.8 million Americans had braces. That is a lot of teeth being straightened. Usually when people think of braces they picture a pimple faced adolescent. But this is not true anymore. The percentage of adults with braces is on the rise. Many people are getting braces for the first time in their 30's or 40's. Many are also getting them for the second time. Usually because they neglected to maintain the straight teeth that resulted from their first stint with braces. If you have had braces or if you have them now there are a few things you should know so that you don't have to get them again later.

Teeth Shift

Teeth are not like bones they don't stay in one place. They can shift quite often. As you grow your jaw changes and your teeth change with it. The general consensus is that boys and girls both stop growing in their 20's. This is years after braces. If you experienced a growth spurt in your late teens your mouth could have changed a lot.

Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are another mouth disruptor. Depending on how these teeth are coming in they can create a lot of problems. If they are impacted they can push on your other teeth and severely disrupt their alignment. This is part of the reason why your dentist in Hilliard, OH usually will recommend that you get them removed as soon as possible. Not only are wisdom teeth hard to clean and so they get easily infected but they also can really mess up your mouth. The sooner you get them out the better off you will be.

Retainer

If you have had braces you know that you are supposed to wear your retainer to keep your teeth straight. Of all the things you can do to influence the straightness of your teeth this is the most crucial. Wearing your retainer every night will keep your teeth from moving to the extent that you need braces again. Wearing your retainer is much cheaper then having to pay for braces again. Also it is a lot less painful and annoying. If you don't want to have to mess with metal mouth follow the advice of your Hilliard dentist and wear your retainer.

Image Credit: Zawezome, on Flickr