Dental Care For Older Patients In Burton

Differing dental needs of our patients.

Whether young or old, good oral health care is essential for healthy teeth and gums. Even if we are less concerned about the appearance of our teeth as we get older, we still need strong and healthy teeth to be able to both enjoy our food and gain the necessary nutrition for good health.

Our Burton family dentists treat patients of all ages, but, below, we take a look at some dental issues which may be of particular relevance to older patients

Gum disease

We should say, of course, that anyone can have gum disease, but there are a number of reasons why older people especially, may be at increased risk. As we get older, we are more likely to suffer from a dry mouth, with reduced saliva to wash away the ‘bad’ bacteria in our mouth. The dry warm atmosphere caused by a dry mouth can increase the number of harmful bacteria and gum disease can occur. Diabetes is an illness which increasingly occurs as we get older, and diabetics are known to have an increased gum disease risk.

As well as recommending that older patients are particularly diligent and make sure to brush their teeth, and floss well; we also encourage keeping regular appointments with our hygienist to ensure that your gums remain healthy as you progress in years.

Teeth replacement

The older we are, the more chance there is that we will have lost a tooth or two. This may be due to accidents, tooth decay or even gum disease (see above).  Even in later years, most of us would probably not be happy with missing front teeth, but even missing rear teeth can make eating and chewing much more difficult. At Mike Allen’s Dental Practice, we offer a number of methods to replace a missing tooth. Dentures are one of the more commonly used methods, although some patients prefer a dental bridge if appropriate, or, for those who want the ultimate in strong and secure replacement teeth, dental implants.

Whiter teeth

However old we are, most of us like to look the best that we can. One effect of ageing on our teeth is discolouration. In addition to additional years of staining, older people will find that their teeth look discoloured or ‘yellow’ the older the get. Much of this is unrelated to how well they brushed their teeth and is caused by a darkening of the inner part of the tooth caused by the passing years. Even older patients though can have their teeth restored to a brighter whiteness through our teeth whitening procedure which is performed at home using a custom home whitening kit.

If you are no longer a youngster but still want to have healthy and great looking teeth, why not call Mike Allen’s Dental Practice in Burton on 01283 845345 and see how we can help you to achieve this?