Is having natural perfect teeth for life possible or is it par for the course that you will lose your teeth in old age? According to the Oral Health Foundation, keeping your natural teeth for life is possible provided that you are proactive regarding your dental health and follow recommended dentist-approved guidelines to care for your oral health.
According to statistics, six percent of British adults do not have natural teeth of their own. The percentage of those with no natural teeth rises as the age group increases – 15 percent for those aged between 65 and 74 increases to 31 percent for those aged 75 to 84 and 47 percent for adults over 85.
Many of these adults have to rely on suitable missing teeth replacement solutions to restore their masticatory function. One such dental solution that has found favour with dental practitioners and patients is dental implants St Albans with the last official tally announcing 130,000 individual implants placed a year.
When you are young, it may not seem a big deal to miss out on brushing your teeth or flossing every now and then but when this failure to clean teeth becomes a habit that disastrous consequences can follow. The results of these frowned-upon habits begin to take their toll later in life when teeth are lost to tooth decay or progressive gum disease.
Is losing teeth as big a deal as dental professionals make it out to be?
Why tooth loss is a concern
Research study after research study begins to paint a worrying picture for every adult tooth lost. Teeth play an enormously influential role in keeping the body strong and the mind healthy.
The primary function of teeth is to bite off chunks of food and grind them to pieces before swallowing them to be digested. How effective the digestion process is for nutrient absorption will depend on how well food is chewed properly.
The more teeth that are missing, the more challenging it becomes to gnash food into teensy weensy pieces. Another problem is that a person without an adequate number of teeth may not be able to enjoy a wide variety of foods which means they may not get all the different minerals and vitamins they need for proper body functioning.
Tooth loss not only impacts negatively on the body but on cognitive function too. Researchers from the University College London (UCL) have discovered that tooth loss in adults between the ages of 50 and 70 are more likely to find everyday activities like cooking, gardening, going shopping, and even making a telephone call, challenging.
Patients with tooth decay and gum disease are at greater risk of mental health illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. This is due to the bad oral bacteria that overwhelm the mouth to cause problems in the mouth. But these problems are not just limited to the mouth but can extend to reach the brain and other vulnerable parts of the body such as the heart and lungs.
Preventing tooth loss is so much more than just protecting your smile. The health of your body and the health of your mental abilities depend on it, especially in your later years.