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Ask the Warrior Dentist – Dental Care For Seniors
Posted by | Posted in Dental Health | Posted on 16-08-2010
As long as we have teeth – even if they might be replacement teeth – we will require expert and regular dental care. That’s why dental care for seniors is such a significant and vibrant area of the overall field of dentistry. These days the senior population is the fastest growing demographic in America and the dental profession has responded to that historical rise in the number of seniors in the population by offering more services and procedures for older patients.
Today there are many more geriatric specialists within the dental industry, for example, a phenomenon that has happened in reaction to the fact that many seniors – and the parents of those younger seniors – are now wanting and needing age-specific dental care or will need it in the years to come. Along with a rise in the number of dentists who are specially trained to work with the health concerns of older patients there has also been an astonishing change in terms of dental treatments and technologies. Now the procedures your dentist does are more effective, they take less time to complete, they cause less discomfort, and they typically cost much less over time because they are so superior to the old-fashioned methods of the past.
If you need a crown placed on a damaged, cracked, or decayed tooth, for instance it can often be done within one single visit to the dentist. It used to take weeks, because it took a long time to develop x-rays, days or weeks to sculpt a new artificial tooth by hand, and then additional appointments in the dentist chair to complete each step in the long process. Now you can get better and more vivid x-rays done in a matter of minutes, they can be evaluated right away, and if you need to have a replacement tooth or crown made many dentists can accomplish that within 2-3 hours right there inside their own office. They use robots, computers, lasers, and other futuristic tools to ensure your comfort and convenience while enhancing your dental health.
Seniors have issues that are specific to their age group, too, like old amalgam fillings that need to be removed and replaced to avoid serious problems like cracked teeth or mercury poisoning. As we age the gums tend to recede, which can lead to an increased risk of periodontal disease. A loss of bone density can mean diminished tooth enamel strength, and thinning of the tooth enamel can mean more care must be taken when polishing the teeth to remove stains and protect from harmful bacteria. Poor oral hygiene can even lead to cardiac problems, so that is yet another concern of older dental patients.
But regardless of the issue, there are wonderful remedies and preventive measures that can be employed to ensure that no matter how old you are, your teeth and smile can remain youthful. Ask your dentist about the kinds of oral health concerns that most seniors share, and he or she can explain to you all the various different approaches to enhancing your dental health and keeping your gums and teeth vibrant and healthy for years to come.
Watch the video related to dental health
Learn how to detect and prevent gingivitis and get expert tips and advice on how to maintain healthy teeth and gums in this free oral hygiene video. Expert: Carol Hirt Bio: Carol Hirt lives in Houston, Texas, where she studied and graduated from the University of Texas Dental Branch in 2004. Filmmaker: Spencer Dean
Help answer the question about dental health
How come dental insurance isn't like health insurance?If you have a broken arm you get surgery and get it fixed
You pay a certain amount and there is no limit
How come if you have a broken mouth…You only get a small portion with dental insurance.
If dental / oral health can ruin overall health..shouldn't dental health be like going to the doctors and getting what needs to be done …done…regardless of ability to pay but allow the dentist to make full profit like a doctor in a hospital?
Could be space in between your teeth, with food getting caught and then abscessing slightly, then going away.
Or, a metabolic disease which shows up as gum sores.
Or something you eat or drink — acidic juices, perhaps?
Maybe even a gum you chew, or whitening toothpaste.
I like listerine. My husband prefers crest. Our dentist recommends crest as well.
I can't help you with the loan information but can recommend a good discount plan.
http://www.mybenefitsplus.com/40491833
Good luck!
Yes, health subjects are all part of the realm of Science. Ask any dentist how much science they had in college. And in preschool, you can't really go too deep without losing them, so roots and crowns are about as far as you'd want to go. You might start by asking them what they know about bones, get their feedback, and then ask if they've ever seen a bone. Some will think of chicken bones or ribs, but maybe somebody will come up with "teeth" and if they don't, you lead them to that idea. Then jump in to what bones and teeth need to be healthy (calcium) and other ways to take care of bones. Your teeth are the only bones that need cleaning to stay healthy, and viola! You are now into talking about brushing, and maybe flossing. Take some floss (it is cheap, one roll will cover the whole class easily), and ask if they can squish their finger in between their teeth to clean out the in-betweens. No?!
Well, how about a toothbrush, does that fit in between? (Take yours, SHOW them with your own teeth). Better, but what if I use this neat string? (Again, SHOW them with yours) then pass out a bit of floss, keep the garbage can right next to you, and pass it around after they all have a try with their own piece of floss. That ensures it all ends up in the trash (no germs, strangulations!!) and it's all cleaned up.
IMO it should. You're right when you say that dental care is just as important as regular care. I've read that people with poor oral hygiene have a higher chance of heart disease. If we had more preventative care and people actually took care of their bodies, we would see a huge reduction in how much it would cost to treat people.
Almost all foods contain some form of sugar which causes tooth decay.
All food though if left in the mouth will support the growth of germs and other mouth diseases like gingivitis and gum disease. Plaque build-up will result which pushes the gums away from the teeth giving germs even more space to hide.
Left alone these can lead to bone disease and bone loss.
Same applies to most drinks except water.
Milk is good.
Regular dentist visits will help.
Brushing three times a day and before bed is a must for good hygiene.
The premium for your health insurance when you go out on your own will vary significantly based on your age and gender.
I have seen decent policys as low as $111 per month for a young male and over $800 per month for someone in their late 50's.
Keep in mind, when you are going into the self employed arena – and you are shopping for health insurance, you can not look at the benefits in the same fashion as your big corporate health insurance policys.
You need to look for the following:
1) minimal internal policy limitations – ie – limints on physical therapy, ambulance, in-patient hospitalization limits
2) Provider Network – make sure you get into a plan that gives you in network access to nationwide doctors
3) Rate guarantees – some carriers are offering 18 and 24 month rate guarantees
4) Get educated on Health Savings Account (HSA) qualified plans – they can save you significant premium and tax dollars
5) Pre-existing condition limitations – if you have pre-existing conditions, be sure to review any exclusions with the policy
6) Use a local broker / agent – they have the most knowledge regarding the policys that work the best in your local area.
Hope this helps
Check the report below….the average dental yearly costs were under $500, so: 50 percent of people paid UNDER $500 a YEAR to take care of their teeth….
Avg. exam $30
Avg. cleaning $75
Avg. filling $100
These are all less than that last tattoo!
The pH of dental plaque is a key factor from the balance between acid demineralization of the teeth and the remineralization of the initial caries lesion. Plaque pH falls each time acids accumulate from the plaque due to bacterial acid production following the consumption of fermentable carbohydrates – mainly sugars – from foods and drinks.
On the other hand, the plaque pH rises when the acids are washed out and neutralized by saliva, which contains the important buffer, bicarbonate. The pH also rises when the plaque bacteria either metabolize the acids, or produce alkali such as ammonia from nitrogenous compounds found from foods and saliva.