As we grow older there are some aspects of health that may be beyond our control . The dentition is no exception either . The improvement of oral health is partly contributed by the introduction of Fluoride in the local water reticulation system . This is an advantage to the young , especially in their formative years .
34 Issue # 8 , December 2017
THIRD TIME
LUCKY
As we grow older there are some aspects of health that may be beyond our control . The dentition is no exception either . The improvement of oral health is partly contributed by the introduction of Fluoride in the local water reticulation system . This is an advantage to the young , especially in their formative years .
However for the older folks , fluoride although beneficial , is not as effective to them as the younger cohort group . The main problem for them is that they have many heavily filled teeth . On average , the fillings are more than thirty years old and unfortunately , vertical cracks on these teeth , means the end of their service life .
Many of these men and women had to remove most if not all of their teeth . This means that they have to resort to full dentures . Full dentures often do not seat correctly and loose grip when it matters most like eating and speaking . Embarrassing incidences contribute to the loss of confidence for these young at heart .
A Third Chance
We were born with two sets of teeth , a deciduous set ( milk teeth ) and permanent teeth , often completed by the time we are in our late teens . But with longer lifespan and better overall health , the teeth has no way to rejuvenate itself and it is expected to last us until we are in our 90 ’ s !
One good example is Mr A . R . , a seventy five year old man who in his younger days was always praised for his good white teeth , as he would describe his dentitions . However as time goes by , his teeth started to chip and crack . He also had some deep and huge fillings . This was made worse due to a few bouts of gum or periodontal disease . Finally his dentist decided to remove all of his lower teeth and issued him with a full lower denture .