Older People Have Special Dental Challenges
According to statistics, people are keeping their teeth longer these days than ever before. Among people who are over 65, less than a fourth of them have lost all their teeth! Most can honestly say that they have better dental health than the generation before them.
Unfortunately, there aren’t that many dentists who are skilled in geriatric dentistry (or dentistry for older people.) Older people have different needs than younger dental patients. Some of these problems are the presence of a chronic illness and the patient being on a variety of medications. These factors affect dental treatment.
Gum disease is often linked with other illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease. Gum disease is the most common chronic condition among people, with most people developing it if they live long enough. However, good oral hygiene will definitely help to postpone it as long as possible.
Another problem seen in older dental patients is dificulty eating because of missing teeth, gum disease, or reduced saliva output. Add to this the slower recovery rate for older people, coupled with financial woes, and you can see that older people often do not get the dental care they need. Healthy gums and teeth contribute greatly to the overall quality of a person’s life regardless of age.