Your teeth comprise a significant part of your facial features, including your cheek definition. But, conversely, have you ever considered their development? Like the rest of your body, your teeth grow and change with time. Therefore, you can optimise their care by accounting for the different life stages.
How Does Dental Care Differ At Each Stage Of Life?
Your ideal type of dental care depends on your age. Therefore, your dental health needs will vary from someone who is a different age. So, for example, toddlers don’t require high levels of dental care since their teeth are newly emerged and will fall out in time as the permanent teeth replace the milk teeth.
It is important to have a clear idea of how dental care differs in each stage of life. This article breaks down all the pertinent information for you and presents the various approaches to dentistry at each life stage.
Oral Health At All Life Stages
Paediatric Dentistry
Paediatric dentistry typically entails caring for children’s milk teeth. Since milk teeth are eventually replaced with adult teeth, any problems with milk teeth are of lower concern. However, while you shouldn’t ideally encounter many issues with your child’s milk teeth, it is crucial to instil proper dental hygiene practices at this stage. They include:
- Regular dental examinations to make sure the teeth are in good health.
- Adding sealants to provide additional protection to your child’s teeth.
- In case of tooth decay, a dentist may need to apply crowns, fillings, space maintainers and extractions.
- Your dentist will perform emergency procedures if there is dental damage, breaking, or missing teeth.
- The dentist will perform X-rays and other exams to detect any misalignment.
- The dentist will check your child’s gums for any signs of gum disease.
Dentistry For Teens
Since teenagers have adult teeth, it is important to make sure they continue observing optimal dental hygiene practices. It is also best to encourage your teens to take good care of their natural teeth, thus ensuring their longevity. During the teen years, your dentist may recommend installing braces to rectify gaps in the teeth, overcrowding in the mouth, or tooth misalignment.
Dentistry In Later Life
After the teen years, into adulthood and beyond, dentistryfocuses on maintaining a healthy and attractive smile. Keeping the teeth white, healthy, and strong is paramount. Therefore, you must have regular dental check-ups and teeth cleanings to help effectively manage your oral hygiene. On the other hand, preventative care methods help eliminate the need for crowns or fillings due to tooth decay.
Since retaining your natural teeth is the best option, your dentist will provide valuable tips on the measures you can take to preserve and improve your genuine smile.
How Teeth Change AsYou Age
As you age, so do your teeth. Some of the changes that occur in the teeth while ageing include:
- Wear and tear: While your teeth are tough, theyremain susceptible to wear over time. For example, eating, chewing hard foods, and grinding can wear your teeth down. However, your dentist can restore your teeth’s sharpness and repair ridges caused by grinding or damage.
- Plaque build-up and gum sensitivity: Plaque constantly forms in your mouth and can cause the gums to swell and become sensitive. Moreover, your gums may recede, and you may be afflicted with bad breath.
- Dryness in the mouth: Your mouths become drier as you age. Without saliva to clean the mouth, plaque and bacteria can accumulate. Therefore, the older you are, the more vulnerable you are to gingivitis.
- Tooth sensitivity: As you age, tooth wear and tear and the decay caused by plaque build-up can make your teeth more sensitive. Tooth sensitivity, however, is treatable with special toothpaste orcertain procedures that strengthen and protect the tooth enamel.
All this information clearly illustrates what happens to your teeth as you age. It also demonstrates the care needed to maintain optimum oral health throughout your life. However, the most important emphasis of dental care, no matter your life stage, remains on keeping up proper dental hygiene and getting regular check-ups at your dentist’s office every six months. Staying up-to-date on oral care ensures that you avoid encountering issues later that may cause significant discomfort or require extensive intervention.