For decades, many adults likely passed their twice-yearly dental exams and teeth cleanings like the stars in an old Crest toothpaste television commercial who boasted, “Look Mom, no cavities!”
Yet, especially when patients start to enter their 60s, aging dental health issues can led to some disappointing surprises due to increasing issues related to aging such as gum recession, tooth wear and fracturing, dry mouth, bone density loss, decay on teeth root surfaces and periodontal disease, according to three experienced Routt County dentists.
Some aging dental patients may experience situations such as having seven cavities filled within sixth months or needing to increase dental cleanings to three or four times a year.
“These are really important issues to be talking about,” said Dr. Jonathan Bishop at High Country Dentistry in Steamboat Springs. “As far as age goes, some of these issues are progressive throughout a person’s life, like tooth breakdown from years of use and/or clenching and grinding, and some are unique to later in life events like menopause, or hormonal changes leading to increased risk for bone loss, gingival recession or dry mouth.”
Dr. Sunny Owens, who founded Sunshine Dentistry in 2007 in Steamboat, said the most common reasons for more dental problems as people age is “dry mouth often caused by medications or medical conditions, decrease in dexterity for toothbrushing and flossing, and teeth that have large restorations.”
“Research points to the physiologic and/or hormone changes that happen with aging including recession,” Owens added. “Medication use and chronic disorders are more common in aging adults, which can contribute to dental problems.”
The dentists explained that when gums recede with aging, that exposes more of the root of the tooth without enamel, which is protective for its mechanical strength, resistance to decay and defense against sensitivity to temperature and touch.
“This puts the tooth at a greater likelihood of breakdown via decay, mechanical wear such as abfractions that cause the tooth to become ditched out at the gum line, and sensitivity,” Bishop explained. “Recession can increase as we age from trauma related to the way our teeth bite together, clenching/grinding, aggressive brushing technique, changes in bone in the jaw and hormonal changes causing a thinning of the gum tissue, especially in women.”
As patients age, many people increasingly take a greater number of medications, many of which can cause dry mouth, Bishop said, noting blood pressure and heart medications are a common culprit.
Dr. Jeffrey Grove, a dental consultant who also works as a dentist part-time for Northwest Colorado Health, pointed to Cleveland Clinic information that some form of gum recession is prevalent in 88% of patients 65 and older, and recession begins for many in their early 40s. Gum recession leads to exposure of root surfaces, which are softer, more vulnerable and more susceptible to toothbrush abrasion and acid from bacteria and food.
A common aging issue is dry mouth, or xerostomia, with less production of saliva in the mouth that puts teeth at higher risk for decay.
“As we age, systems and parts of our bodies don’t work like they used to; this is also true for our salivary glands,” Grove said. “Dry mouths are particularly susceptible to dental diseases. Saliva lubricates our teeth and prevents food and plaque from sticking to our teeth. Saliva is naturally cleansing our teeth as we masticate food. Saliva is also a natural buffer for acid.”
Grove noted that changes in sleep and eating habits associated with aging also impact dental health.
“It’s similar to what happens with college students and their pattern changes when they arrive on campus – late night eating, high sugar foods and drinks, and less of a focus on routine habits when living at home,” Grove said.
“Aging patients just need to be more proactive in lots of ways and realize that there are changes happening, some of which are beyond their control,” Grove said. “They need to change their habits, their patterns, interact more frequently with their dentist, their hygienist and develop with their dentist a customized plan based on their challenges to help them protect their teeth.”
