How are Americans doing when it comes to the dental health of the 65+ population?
The Good News:
The rate of tooth decay in the elderly has decreased in the past thirty years.1
The Bad News:
25% of persons age 65+ have no remaining teeth2
Nearly 20% have untreated tooth decay3
10% of adults 65 and over have moderate to severe periodontal disease.
There is evidence to suggest that advanced gum disease is linked to diabetes, heart disease, stroke and respiratory disease
Most older Americans don’t have dental insurance
Clearly, there is room for improvement. What essential conditions will improve the oral health of age 65+ Americans? The National Institutes of Health cite three required components:
- Improved oral health education for the elderly
- Seniors practicing effective daily oral hygiene
- Increased access to dental care1
At Dental Care Today PC – E. Dale Behner DDS in Fishers, we are devoted to providing our elderly patients with comprehensive oral health education and attentive care that addresses the special challenges that impact seniors. These challenges include difficulty brushing and flossing due to arthritis, dry mouth caused by prescription medications, tooth sensitivity, bone recession, and complications due to diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
We want our elderly patients to not only have a healthy smile, but a beautiful one as well. Many of our senior patients have elected to improve their smiles with services such as crowns, inlays/onlays, dental bonding, porcelain veneers, dental implants, and tooth whitening. The majority of our cosmetic dental smile makeover patients are thrilled with their new smile and report that it has improved their life immensely. They feel happier, more attractive, and more confident in social settings.
The friendly team at Dental Care Today PC – E. Dale Behner DDS on Fishers provides the full spectrum of general and cosmetic dental services for Fishers area patients of all ages including porcelain veneers, dental crowns and dentures.
1“Periodontal Disease in Seniors (Age 65 and Over),” National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/DataStatistics/FindDataByTopic/GumDisease/PeriodontaldiseaseSeniors65over.htm, accessed on November 24, 2015
2“Oral Health for Older Americans,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/publications/factsheets/adult_oral_health/adult_older.htm, accessed on November 24, 2015
3“Dental Caries and Tooth Loss in Adults in the United States, 2011–2012,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db197.htm, accessed on November 24, 2015
