Dental Care Concerns For Senior Citizens Gum Disease, Dentures, And More

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Often times, when people think of dental concerns, they rarely think of the dental concerns that many senior citizens face. Senior citizens are at many risks for dental problems, even more so than people who are younger than they are.

In fact, studies have shown that senior citizens are at a higher risk of getting cavities than even children are. This is due to a number of different reasons. For one, senior citizens often have a lost some of their manual dexterity, which makes it more difficult for them to brush and clean their teeth properly, causing cavities to occur. They also are often on certain medications that can cause overall poor dental health, and many times drink bottled water or filtered water which does not always contain necessary minerals and nutrients that are needed for healthy teeth.

Another dental care concern for senior citizens is gum recession. As people age, they are at a higher risk for gum disease. This gum disease results in a recession of the gums which often leads to the roots of the tooth becoming exposed which poses the threat of a variety of different problems. Primarily, it leads to teeth falling out or having to be pulled, which then leads to the person needing to have dentures to replace the teeth they have lost.

Dentures themselves also cause a certain level of dental concerns for senior citizens. Dentures that are not properly formed to fit in the persons mouth and fit poorly can cause gum sores to occur, which if not taken care of properly can cause an abscess and serious mouth pain and infection. Food debris that can become trapped under dentures can also cause gum disease to occur, and further degrade any natural teeth that are left in place.

These are only a few of the dental concerns that senior citizens face. Fortunately, modern dental care has advanced enough that many senior citizens will be able to keep their own teeth healthy for a very long time, provided they seek regular dental care from their dentist.


About the Author:
Dr. Gary Burdick is an experienced Fullerton dentist offering family dentistry La Habra, including Whittier sedation dentistry and cosmetic dentistry.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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