Skin Care
Just like skin care, oral health is very important, and many people practice proper oral hygiene methods like brushing and flossing and regularly visiting their dentist. However, even with brushing and flossing every time you eat and seeing the dentist twice a year, your smile can start to wear out over time.
Unfortunately, many senior citizens deal with problems like missing or crooked teeth. These problems can make a person feel self-conscious about their smile and make certain activities like speaking or eating more difficult. There are five cosmetic dentistry solutions that senior citizens can explore to improve their smile:
- Cosmetic Bonding
Whether you drink a cup of coffee or tea every morning or not, natural wear and tear can give your teeth a yellow tint. You can also suffer from chipped teeth due to decades of eating. One solution to fix this problem is cosmetic bonding. This treatment involves placing a composite material over a patient’s teeth, improving problems like yellow or chipped teeth.
During the cosmetic bonding treatment, a dentist will softly scratch the patient’s enamel and cover up the enamel using an adhesive via ultraviolet light. The next step involves creating composite resin that matches the patient’s desired tooth shape. The process itself is painless, and most seniors don’t require anesthesia of any kind.
- Porcelain Veneers
Also called laminates, porcelain veneers look and function like regular teeth and are sturdier than composites. This durable cosmetic dentistry solution can help with the following:
- Filling in the spaces and gaps between a patient’s teeth
- Improving a patient teeth’ shape and color
- Making a patient’s teeth appear straighter
- Creating a brighter and fuller smile by broadening a patient’s arch
For a more natural appearance, porcelain veneers work wonders and can help prevent tooth decay.
- Dental Bridges
For seniors that are missing teeth, dental bridges can be an effective solution. When a patient has a missing tooth between two otherwise healthy teeth, a bridge can help fill this gap. After covering the two healthy teeth with crowns, the dentist will then create a false or pontic tooth that closely resembles natural teeth.
- Orthodontics
For straightening teeth, orthodontics like braces are a good solution and can improve the health of a patient’s gums and jaw points alongside their teeth. However, this option isn’t always the best for all senior citizens, and some might be averse to having braces.
- Dental Implants
The final cosmetic treatment that seniors can benefit from is dental implants. Dental implants can replace a patient’s missing teeth, and the process generally involves placing a titanium screw in the patient’s jaw. This process allows a patient’s jawbone to surround the screw and properly secure it. The final step involves the dentist setting a crown over the implant. In the end, the dental implant looks and feels like a natural tooth and is a great solution for seniors wanting to preserve their existing tooth structure.