As you age, your body starts to degenerate because of the natural weakening of your immune system. This is part of the cycle we call ‘life’. Your skin no longer becomes supple and become all wrinkled, and your knees no longer get the lubrication that it needs to function without inducing any kind of pain. It only follows that your teeth and jawbones would also go through the same kind of degenerating effects. The process of aging will also hamper with your body’s ability to get nutrients in, hence impeding the normal regeneration of your teeth which makes them more prone to tooth decay.
On top of the metabolic and other diseases which older individuals are plagued with, they also have to deal with poor dental health. Some of the dental conditions that are normally found in older patients include having a dry mouth, getting uneven jawbones due to the collapsing of these facial structures, dental caries and the resulting teeth loss. There are a number of reasons for why elder individuals have to face a myriad of dental dilemmas. One reason is because of the medications which they take with certain drugs interfering with the natural production of saliva. At the same time, mineral imbalances and inability to replenish the mineral levels from food can also cause deterioration of bony structures including your jawbones. Rheumatism and other types of joint and bone disorders can also make it very difficult for the aging population to brush their teeth and floss which could exacerbate the host of dental problems which they already have.
If you want to make sure that your grandparents’ (or parents’) natural teeth stay strong enough to last them an entire lifetime, then here are some tips for taking care of their teeth and the other structures inside their mouth:
1. Make sure to continue to brush and floss still. This may be a concern which isn’t of the same magnitude as keeping track of your blood pressure or blood glucose levels, but it’s not something which you should neglect either. The use of fluoride containing toothpaste is recommended by dentists since the older population is at higher risk for cavities.
2. Call your dentist right away if there’s anything bothering you. You can no longer afford to shrug off any dental problem which might creep up because a weakened immune system means that an infection could easily turn from bad to worse.
3. Load your diet with foods that will keep your mouth healthy. An adequate diet is extremely important among older individuals because their body have problems in absorbing nutrients to begin with, how much more if you’re subsisting in junk? Make sure to load up on calcium, vitamin C and fiber.
Visit your Dentist In Kannapolis, NC, Clifford C. Compton III, DDS, PA
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