As you grow older, you begin to realize that maintaining your dental health is as crucial as keeping your physical body to enjoy the rest of your life with full enjoyment. Tooth loss certainly demoralizes the efforts that you put in, despite whatever the result is, whether it is a gum disease, tooth decay, or dental trauma. In general, if a tooth cannot be fixed through any dental fillings, restorations, or crowns, it has to be extracted. Indeed, tooth loss does not need to have a negative impact on your life. However, it gives you confidence, and it is what makes the difference. Visit Burlingame dentist for seniors for dental consultancy and more detailed knowledge about dental health in seniors.
What are the problems that can cause difficulties in seniors due to missing teeth?
The impact of missing teeth is much more crucial than simply just the physical appearance of your smile. There are multiple effects of missing teeth in seniors, including:
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Digestion and chewing problems
Missing teeth in seniors make it difficult for them to chew on food properly, which results in improper digestion. Foods that are not adequately chewed can strain your digestive system and decrease the amount of nutrient absorption, leading to nutritional deficiency among seniors.
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Difficulty in speaking
Teeth play a crucial role when it comes to the formation of words and speech sounds. The absence of teeth, most notably the frontal teeth, can affect the pattern of speech, which results in difficulties with communication and pronunciation.
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Facial appearance is altered.
Apart from providing the ability to chew something, your teeth also provide the purpose of the facial structure. When the teeth are missing, the jaw bone starts to deteriorate, which leads to changes in facial expressions and the sinking of the face.
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Risk of bone loss
The roots of your teeth work as a stimulator of your bone in the ja, hence helping preserve its density and strength. When the teeth go missing, the effect of stimulation decreases, resulting in gradual bone loss. This eventually affects the facial structure, and it makes dental implants more difficult for the dentist in the future.
What are the solutions for missing teeth in seniors?
There are multiple options for the solution to missing teeth in seniors, and those are as follows:
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Dentures
Dentures are the traditional removable option that has been popular among seniors with missing teeth for decades. Currently, there are two main types of denture treatment: full denture for people with complete tooth loss and partial teeth loss for people with only a few missing teeth. Seniors mostly choose dentures because of the aesthetic look and the comfortable feeling of the treatment.
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Dental bridges
Dental bridges are mainly used to bridge the gap of the teeth set, and seniors often use dental bridges for permanent and fixed solutions for one or more missing adjacent teeth. An artificial tooth is attached to the natural teeth, restoring the gap. This restoration of teeth helps them chew and preserve the adjustment and alignment of the surrounding teeth.
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Dental implants
Dental implants are the permanent solution for the restoration of the teeth. Dental implants help to provide a natural and permanent solution for missing teeth among adults. Dental implants mainly contain posts made of titanium that offer a stable foundation for prosthetic teeth through surgical implantation.
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Regular dental check-ups
Prevention of dental problems in seniors is essential to maintaining their overall oral health. Here, regular dental checkups with the dentist can provide a long-term solution. From time to time, a visit to the dentist will not only help you to keep your dental health healthy but will also help you to maintain mental peace when it comes to your oral health.
