Baby boomers want to enjoy life, look good and feel good, even as they enter their senior years. And why would they settle for anything less? This is, after all, the group that ushered in the youth culture in the first place, back in the 1960s and 1970s.
Well, I have some good news for the boomers. With advances in dental technology and improvements in dental care, many folks are keeping their teeth. And for those who have lost them, there are viable options for regaining dental health.
Gum disease. In the past, it was expected that by the age of 50 you would lose most or all of your teeth. Because of this expectation – along with what we are learning about neuromuscular dentistry and how an improper bite can cause gum recession – I see many patients with exposed roots, making their teeth more susceptible to decay than they need be.
Roots should be strengthened with regular fluoride treatments. Use gels with a high concentration of fluoride, available from your dentist.
And you are visiting your dentist regularly, right? Regular visits ensure that your teeth remain strong and healthy, because you dentist will detect problems and take care of them sooner rather than later.
Sensitive teeth. Do you dread that cool summer drink because of the pain it causes? Do hot foods and drinks hurt your teeth as well? Is even the touching of one tooth to another when you chew painful?
If so, sensitive teeth are your problem, and treatments are available for this condition, too.
One option is gum grafting to cover exposed roots. This might reverse the effects of gum loss due to gum and bone disease (periodontal disease), but it will not solve gum recession due to a bad bite. In this case, you need to speak to a neuromuscular dentist, who can help you find a balanced position for your teeth.
If gum grafting is not an option, control your sensitivity with toothpaste for sensitive teeth, such as Sensodyne.
Arthritis. In this case, it is not the teeth themselves that hurt. It is the getting at them for the routine dental health practices. Patients with arthritis find it difficult to brush and floss.
A large-diameter handle can be placed on your manual toothbrush’s existing handle. This makes the brush far easier to grip. The use of an electric toothbrush can help you get to those hard-to-reach surfaces of your teeth. Electric floss handles allow easier removal of plaque between the teeth.
The importance of chewing. A great many of us have missing teeth by the time we reach our later years. This situation and poorly fitting dentures make it difficult to chew properly – and we need to chew properly to make the right nutritional choices.
No matter what your bad bite is telling you, you require foods from all the food groups, including raw vegetables and fruits, meats and lentils. Chewing before you swallow is important to allow your digestive system to extract nutrients from your food. If you are missing teeth, it is important to have them replaced with implants or bridgework.
So, what to do?
Poorly fitting dentures need to be relined or remade. Today, those who are not able to wear dentures due to bone loss can have implants placed in their mouths for implant-supported dentures. These are comfortable and stay in place, even when the denture-wearer is chewing. Best of all, advances in materials means that dentures can even look natural.
In the past, dentists would tell patients to leave their dentures out at night time. After all, why would you need your teeth when you are sleeping? People would typically leave them in a glass at their bedside.
We now know that this is not a good idea. Your dentures support your facial and throat muscles. If the muscles in the back of the mouth and throat relax, they can cause an obstruction. Throat muscles act as a flap over the trachea. This leads to episodes of obstructive sleep apnea, which prevents air from entering the lungs.
Sleep apnea can cause a host of problems, which I’ve detailed in past columns and will, no doubt, visit again. Suffice to say it can be a dangerous disorder.
Shrinking nerves. As we age, the nerves in our teeth shrink. This makes the teeth become less sensitive.
Considering the earlier item about sensitive teeth, this may sound like a good thing. But it is not. Pain is part of your body’s warning system that something is wrong. If the teeth become less sensitive, you may not feel pain until a problem is well advanced.
In essence, you must compensate for your body’s less robust warning system. How so?
As the nerves shrink, it becomes increasingly important to visit your dentist regularly, so that small problems can be detected and taken care of before they become serious.
It is the serious problems, remember, that demand more involved – and costly – treatments.
Reaching your mature years does not mean barely keeping up your health. With today’s dental technology, you can truly have a healthy set of teeth in your mouth for a lifetime. And if you are missing teeth, you can get lifelike replacements, meaning you won’t miss a beat – or a bite – in your dental health.
Dr. Sholina Kherani is a neuromuscular dentist practising in Edmonton, and also an instructor and mentor for other neuromuscular dentists in North America and beyond. Reach her with your questions and comments at drsholinakherani@shaw.ca.
