Older Teeth need special care
Airing: Sunday, September 26, 2004
As we get older, hopefully we get wiser. Unfortunately, even though we have wisdom teeth, our teeth don’t benefit from aging. Here to help us use our smarts about dental health for the mature mouth is the always wise Dr. Steven Marsh.
Question: As we get older, our bodies change—and that includes our teeth! Dr. Marsh, today you’ve made a list of common changes that occur in your mouth as you get older. Let’s get right to them. The first is that your teeth can get worn down.
Answer: Sometimes this is caused by bad habits such as grinding teeth. Or it just can be due to everyday wear and tear, and the normal usage of your teeth.
Here’s an example where the teeth, especially the bottom teeth, are very worn down. With the use of veneers, we can dramatically change the look.
Question: Another thing that can happen to your teeth as you age is that they can break.
Answer: If you have big fillings, the walls of you teeth may be undermined and may break if you bite down too hard. Silver doesn’t bond to your tooth, so silver fillings can be a fracturing agent.
Question: The third item on your list is losing teeth and gum disease. Now they go hand in hand?Answer: Gum disease occurs when debris gets caught under the gum and is not removed through brushing and flossing. It can get into the bone and tissue structure and cause that to rot and the tooth to fall out. A fractured tooth may also fall out.
Here’s an example of someone who lost two teeth, and it was corrected by a bridge.
Question: Teeth also shift.
Answer: They can either drift apart from each other. Or away from each other.
Question: And finally, teeth darken over time.
Answer: Sometimes teeth die and you need a root canal. That can leave a darker color. The enamel can wear away and the denten underneath is not as white. Staining is not as common in discoloration as one may think. It’s really only on the outer part of the tooth.
This is a GO viewer who came in and wanted her teeth whiter. We whitened the bottom and put veneers on the top.
You can’t stop the clock. But you can turn back time on your teeth. For more information on how, take the time to give Dr. Marsh’s office a call.
