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HOW DOES AGING AFFECT DENTAL HEALTH – ELITE DENTAL CARE, TRACY

With the age bar soaring high, not only your responsibilities but also the risk of diseases increases. It is vital to take utmost care of one’s health at every stage of life. You would have heard that aging leads to joints pain, muscle pain, etc. But have you heard that aging affects your dental health as well? Aging does affect your dental health indeed! Falling of tooth, tooth decay, teeth sensitivity, bleeding gums are just a few disorders to mention. Human teeth are quite emotional! If you fail to care for them, they might break up and just leave. Let’s dig around more on how does aging affect dental health and how to prevent dental disorders at every stage of life.
Why Does Aging Affect Dental Health?
As you grow older, the nerves in your mouth tend to become smaller, cells renew at a slower pace, tissues become thinner, and the bones weaker. The immune system also weakens and fails to protect the oral cavity from bacterial infections. If proper care of teeth and gums is not taken in the early years of life, the gums weaken, weakening the foundation of the teeth. This leads to shaking teeth which eventually falls naturally or has to be extracted. Though you can replace them with artificial teeth, natural teeth is way too stronger than the duplicate, and also lasts longer.
What Dental Disorders Occur as You Grow Older?
GUM DISEASES
Gum diseases are quite common in children, and ironically these are common in older adults as well. Receding gums is the major issue which pulls away from the gum tissue from the teeth. This condition leads to the exposure of the tooth base to cavity-causing bacteria and plaque settlement. Gum disease like Gingivitis and the severe one Periodontal disease occurs due to this plaque formation. Inflammation and bleeding of gums are the early signs of these diseases.
CAVITIES
Bacteria in the mouth convert the sugar and starch in food residues that are stuck in between the teeth into acids. These acids create cavities in teeth that spoil the inner tissues of teeth. Dry mouth also leads to cavities as saliva is the defense agent in the mouth that fights the bacteria in the mouth.
TEETH SENSITIVITY
Older adults usually experience sudden pain in their teeth while consuming hot or cold foods and drinks. This is a known symptom of teeth sensitivity. This sensitivity occurs when the acidic content and bacteria in the mouth wear away the enamel that protects the teeth. When the protective layer is disrupted, the food and drinks consumed to reach the inner tissues of teeth causing sudden shots of pain.
ORAL CANCER
Oral cancer is becoming common among the people above 50 years of age. Smoking, consumption of tobacco and increased consumption of alcohol increase the risk of oral cancer.

How to Prevent Dental Problems?
1. Brush your teeth regularly to remove the food residues stuck in between the teeth and remove the bacterial gathering inside the mouth. Choose the best toothpaste that suits your dental health.
2. Flossing is equally essential because brushing cannot reach the interior narrow portions of the teeth and gums. As a result, food residues, especially those sugary residues find a habitat in the minute spaces between the teeth and the gums. Flossing removes these residues inhibiting the bacterial reaction and cavity formation.
3. Rinse your mouth with a mouthwash to remove the acidic content from your mouth that would instead react with the bacteria forming cavities.
4. Drink plenty of water to keep your mouth moist because dry mouth induces dental problems.
5. Avoid smoking as smoking weakens the gums leading to loose teeth. Smoking also leads to teeth discoloration and bad breath. Give up on it as early as possible.
6. Never miss your regular dental checkup routine as it detects and diagnoses the dental issues at an early stage, and prevents them to a considerable extent.
Follow the above steps to prevent dental problems and take the utmost care of your dental health as you grow older. If you experience any dental issue, feel free to visit our dental care, Elite Dental Care to get all your dental ailments treated. Also, get your regular dental check-up done at our clinic to prevent severe dental issues.