AGING AND DENTAL CARE

Evidence of a systemic disease occurring elsewhere in the body is sometimes noted in the mouth. Tissues in our mouth change as we grow older. Soft tissues lose their ability to stretch. The amount of saliva produced by glands in your mouth is frequently reduced. You heal more slowly than when you were younger. The rate of tooth decay may be increasing as you grow older. This is especially true when the amount of saliva is reduced. Tooth decay in older adults appears most frequently around the the gumline. The root portion of a tooth is especially subject to decay. Root decay is difficult to restore, and decay often reoccurs soon after it is placed.

Periodontal disease can be described as red or swollen gums that bleed with the slightest irritation. Pockets often develop between teeth and gums and can pack or trap food. This disease is generally found in varying degrees in older adults. If not treated, the disease becomes more and more destructive. In the elderly, periodontal disease is a primary cause for toothloss.

As we age, the pulp gradually becomes smaller with fewer blood vessels and less nerve tissue supplying the teeth. As a result, your teeth have less fluid content and become brittle. Your brittle teeth may be easily broken or chipped. Teeth wear because of the grinding action of chewing. Tooth enamel becomes thinner. In severe cases, the enamel covering is completely worn away. Dentin can be dissolved by acidic oral fluids. Teeth with only a fragile enamel shell may result. These teeth are easily chipped or broken.

Many older adults wear dentures or partial dentures. Unfortunately, patients with dentures do not often make regular dental visits. Ill-fitting dentures can be a serious problem. Satisfaction with dentures depends largely on the ability of the remaining ridges in your mouth to provide the necessary support. After the teeth are removed, the remaining bone (ridge) continuously shrinks to a smaller size. The gum tissue covering the ridge becomes thinner and is more easily irritated. The rigid dentures become progressively less adapted to the ridges in the mouth. As a result, chewing hurts and you don't chew as well.