Teeth help you to eat, speak properly and flash a beautiful smile. Thankfully, teeth are strong – but they are not indestructible. There are times when you may lose one through trauma or disease. A lot of people also think that you lose teeth naturally as you get older.
In fact, while the human body does start to deteriorate with age, tooth loss isn’t an inevitable part of that. Look after your teeth with a few precautionary measures, and you can keep them intact for as long as possible.
What happens when you get older?
Looking after your oral health should be a priority, as keeping all your natural teeth has many benefits. Dentures may move and are not as strong as natural teeth, making eating and chewing harder. In addition, there is a relationship between the use of dentures and an increase in gum recession in older patients, as a study published in The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry shows.
Gum disease, broken teeth, and cavities are also common problems experienced by older people. According to the American National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, gum or periodontal disease is actually one of the main causes of tooth loss in seniors.