Keep your teeth. You get to live longer! People who have their natural teeth live about ten years longer than people who wear dentures. If you think about it, the best constructed dentures have only about 20% the eating efficiency of your natural teeth.
Modern, pain-free dentistry with new techniques of tooth replacement and beautiful cosmetic dentistry can allow you to not only look great, but have the eating function that allows you to properly eat like a twenty year old. If your nutrition and ability to eat is great, so too will be your overall health.
As baby boomers begin to age, the aging population, statistically, is growing at phenomenal rates. In terms of the healthcare system, it is expected out country’s healthcare programs and healthcare professionals will become burdened by the overwhelming aging population. In fact, many believe we will suffer a shortage of dentists, doctors and even nurses in the coming decades.
As a baby boomer, there are steps you can take in an effort to ensure you do not fall prey to this shortage of healthcare. If you have a dentist you like and he keeps up the latest technology and advances in dentistry, keep him, and follow his instructions. That twice-a-year check-up can save you a lot of grief and money. You do not save a penny by skipping your check-ups. Remember that no dental problem gets better with time. It only gets worse and much more expensive.
When I get on my soap box with a patient, my favorite topic is using dental floss. It amazes me the patients that will religiously brush their teeth every day but don’t floss daily. Brushing daily but not flossing is the same as taking a bath daily but not using soap; you are not quite getting the job done. Remember, you only have to floss on days you take a bath. People who floss daily have healthy teeth, gums and mouth. If your mouth is healthy, your body is healthy. Flossing is almost more important than brushing. Not being able to properly chew food can lead to poor health! I have seen this many times over.
For many patients I meet, there is a common misconception that losing teeth is a normal part of aging. It does not have to be this way. With proper dental hygiene, and regular examinations, most baby boomers or anyone of any age will continue to enjoy the luxury of having their own teeth throughout their lives, live longer, look better, be able to eat better, and be healthier.
