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Home » Blog » Senior Dentistry: Embrace Healthy Aging

Senior Dentistry: Embrace Healthy Aging

Someone once said, “Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.” How true!  While it can be frustrating to watch your health change as you age, you don’t have to accept poor oral health and tooth loss as just an inevitable part of the aging process. Your oral health is just as important now as it has ever been, and it has a great deal to do with your overall health and wellness. When it comes to senior dentistry and oral health, Dr. Buck shares the top concerns you may have, and how to address them.

Gum Disease

A shocking 70% of adults over 65 years of age have gum disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss among seniors. Gum disease is your body’s way of trying to kill germs that infect and inflame gum tissues.  Chronic exposure to inflammation in the body quadruples your chance of developing Alzheimer’s later in life, according to the American Dental Association.

Tooth Loss & Replacement

After your baby teeth are gone, you only get one adult set of teeth to last the rest of your life. Preventing gum disease and oral cancer will boost your chances of keeping your natural teeth for as long as possible, hopefully for life.  You don’t want to lose your teeth – and you don’t have to!

Even with the most diligent oral hygiene, tooth loss is very common and nothing to be ashamed of. Tooth replacement options have improved greatly with current advances in restorative dentistry. Depending on your individual case, bridges, dentures, or dental implants may be able to restore your smile back to its full, healthy condition, allowing you to eat, speak, and enjoy life with ease. These dental enhancements will need to be cleaned and cared for in similar ways to your natural teeth, and your dentist can help you make the adjustment to caring for them properly.

If a full life has aged your smile, you may also be interested in veneers, which instantly and easily give you a youthful smile again.

Oral Cancer

People over 40 years of age have a much higher risk of developing oral cancer. Seeing the dentist twice a year and receiving regular oral cancer screenings is very helpful for detecting early signs for your best chance at survival and recovery. Prevent oral cancer by quitting (or never starting) tobacco and alcohol. These substances are not healthy for the cells in your mouth (or any other part of your body).

Dry Mouth

Diabetes and some medications can cause dry mouth (xerostomia). Saliva is very important for keeping your mouth healthy and functioning. Dry mouth is common and can lead to increased tooth decay. Talk to your Gwinn dentist if your mouth feels drier than it should, and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Complications

Poor oral health can increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and some older adults struggle with caring for their oral health with everyday hygiene like brushing and flossing. Your dentist cares about every aspect of your health and can help you come up with a plan to improve your overall health and wellness. Be sure to share all your health concerns anytime you see the dentist.

The Dentist Still Wants to See You!

Taking care of your teeth is important at every age. Kids from 1 to 92 should:

  • Brush your teeth twice a day
  • Floss once a day
  • Visit the dentist twice a year
  • Eat a healthy diet and make sugary snacks a rare treat
  • Avoid problematic substances like coffee, tea, alcohol, and nicotine

Your oral health can positively (or negatively) impact your overall health; it also can serve as a mirror to reflect problems going on elsewhere in your body. Caring for your teeth, gums, and mouth will increase the likelihood that your body remains strong and vital during a season of life with so much to look forward to.

Make an appointment today at Northern Trails Dental Care in Gwinn for the most comprehensive dental care so you can enjoy the golden years with a healthy smile!

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Sources

http://www.colgate.com/en/us/oc/oral-health/life-stages/oral-care-age-55-up

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/news/20051111/9-risk-factors-for-tooth-loss

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Gwendolyn Buck, DDS

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We will use your information to respond to you, regarding the reason you contacted us. Unless you ask us not to, we may contact you via email in the future to tell you about specials, new products or services, or changes to this privacy policy.

While Northern Trails Dental Care is the primary data controller, Google, in the context of providing Google Analytics service, acts as a data processor. We use Google Analytics 4, a widely recognized web analytics service provided by Google, Inc., to track user interactions and gather data for advertising purposes. As a third-party vendor, Google Analytics operates independently and maintains its own privacy policy, which can be found at https://policies.google.com/privacy. We carefully select our third-party vendors for their commitment to user privacy and adherence to data protection standards. As part of our ongoing commitment to your privacy, we implement measures to ensure that services like GA4 comply with our high standards of data protection.

GA4 collects certain personally identifiable information from you as you interact with our website. This information includes but is not limited to your device ID, IP address, and geographic location. The information collected through GA4 is used to analyze user behavior, optimize our website’s performance, and tailor our content to better serve your needs. This data is compiled and anonymized, ensuring that it cannot be linked back to individual users.

Please note that GA4 may share the information collected with Google and other third-party service providers to enable data processing and reporting on website usage. However, we will not sell, rent, or share your information, especially your personally identifiable information, with any third party outside of our organization.

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You have certain rights regarding the data collected by GA4. You have the right to do the following at any time by contacting us via the email address or phone number given on our website:

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In addition to opting out of any future communications from us at any time, you may also opt out of the GA4 feature if you so choose. You can opt out of the GA4 Advertising Features we use through Ads Settings, Ad Settings for mobile apps, or through the NAI’s. This link points to Google Analytics’ currently available opt-outs for the web https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/

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Wherever we collect sensitive information (such as credit card data), that information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for a lock icon in the address bar and looking for “https” at the beginning of the address of the Web page.

While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, billing or customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.

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When Personal Health Information (PHI) is requested, we abide by all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) rules and regulations to protect your information and privacy. We are required by applicable federal and state law to maintain the privacy of your health information. We are also required to give you this Notice about our privacy practices, our legal duties, and our rights concerning your health information. We must follow the privacy practices that are described in this Notice while it is in effect. This notice takes effect January 1, 2019, and will remain in effect until we replace it. We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this Notice at any time, provided such changes are permitted by applicable law. We reserve the right to make the changes in our privacy practices and the new terms of our Notice effective for all health information that we maintain, including health information we created or received before we made the changes. Before we make a significant change in our privacy practices, we will change this Notice and make the new Notice available upon request. You may request a copy of our Notice at any time. For more information about our privacy practices, or for additional copies of this Notice, please contact us using the information listed at the end of this Notice.

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We are the sole owners of the information collected on this site. We only have access to/collect information that you voluntarily give us via email or other direct contact from you. We will not sell or rent this information to anyone.

We will use your information to respond to you, regarding the reason you contacted us. We will not share your information with any third party outside of our organization, other than to perform quality of service analysis and as necessary to fulfill your request, e.g. to respond to your queries. We may use your information to review our interactions with you and to help us improve and provide you with the best experience possible.

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We take precautions to protect your information. When you submit sensitive information via the website, your information is protected both online and offline.

Wherever we collect sensitive information (such as personal health information or credit card data), that information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for a lock icon in the address bar and looking for “https” at the beginning of the address of the Web page.

While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example: billing or customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.

If you feel that we are not complying with your rights, you should contact us immediately via telephone or email. You also have the right to contact Health and Human Services (HHS) (https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/). We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

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Entering this site or the links accessible through this site, you agree to be bound by this agreement. The information and the resources contained on and accessible through this site are made available by Northern Trails Dental Care and/or its suppliers and vendors, and are subject to your agreement to their terms and conditions.

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All rights reserved, Northern Trails Dental Care makes this website available to all users for the sole purpose of providing educational information on health-related issues.

The accuracy of website, information, and resources identified are not warranted or guaranteed, or intended to be a substitute for professional health advice, to contradict health advice given, or for health care of any kind.

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Material on this site may be used for personal use only. Commercial use of any sort is strictly prohibited.

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This site may not be used as a supplement or alternative for health care, and is not intended and does not warrant or guarantee the quality or quantity of any services of any of the advertisers identified; further, the information provided is merely for educational purposes, and its accuracy is not guaranteed. Do not use this site as a substitute for health care. Please consult with your doctor or other health care provider regarding any health questions you may have. This site may not be used for health diagnosis or treatment. Do not use this site to disregard any health advice, nor to delay seeking health advice, because of something you read or see in this site.

You understand and agree that neither Northern Trails Dental Care nor its suppliers or vendors or linked domain names are responsible or liable for any claim, loss, or damage of any kind, directly or indirectly resulting from your use of this site or the information or the resources contained on or accessible through it.

Northern Trails Dental Care expressly disclaims any implied warranty or representation about the information or accuracy, relevance, completeness, timeliness or appropriateness for any particular purpose of any kind. Your use of this site is also subject to all additional disclaimers that may appear throughout the site.

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This site also includes links to other internet sites created and maintained by Northern Trails Dental Care’s suppliers, vendors, affiliates, or subscribers. Be aware that Northern Trails Dental Care does not control, makes no guarantees about, and disclaims any express or implied representations or warranties about the accuracy, relevance, completeness, timeliness or appropriateness for a particular purpose of the information or the resources contained on these or any other internet sites.

Further, the inclusion of these links is merely for your convenience and is not intended and does not reflect Northern Trails Dental Care’s opinion on the accuracy or the importance of these other sites; further, Northern Trails Dental Care does not endorse in any manner any of the views expressed in, or products or services offered by these other sites. All information in any site by Northern Trails Dental Care, or associated or linked site, is extracted, read, used, or relied upon by you at your own risk.

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Northern Trails Dental Care and its suppliers and vendors disclaim all express or implied representations or warranties regarding the information, services, products, materials, and any other resources contained on or accessible through this site, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. All information provided by Northern Trails Dental Care is made available “as is” and “as available” without warranty of any kind, or any express or implied promise, including, by way of example, its continuing availability.

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With respect to products, goods, or services purchased from any entity identified, listed, named or contacted through Northern Trails Dental Care’s website, or any links to Northern Trails Dental Care’s website, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Northern Trails Dental Care or its suppliers or vendors be liable for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, incidental, exemplary, contractual, or consequential damages, or any damages whatsoever of any kind, resulting from any loss, which by way of example, includes loss of use, loss of data, loss of profits, business interruption, litigation, or any other pecuniary loss, whether based on breach of contract, tort (including negligence), product liability, or otherwise, arising out of or in any way connected with the use or performance of this site, with the delay or inability to use this site, or with the provision of or failure to make available any information, services, products, materials, or other resources contained on or accessible through this site, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

You acknowledge and agree that the limitations set forth above are elements of this agreement, and that this site would not be provided to you absent such limitations.

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You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Northern Trails Dental Care and its suppliers and vendors from any liability, loss, claim, and expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) related to your violation of this agreement or use of this site in any manner. Your use of this site shall constitute your acceptance of the terms of this Agreement, as revised and modified, if any, each time you access this site. Northern Trails Dental Care may modify this agreement at any time, and such modifications shall be effective immediately upon posting of the modified agreement.

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Northern Trails Dental Care’s failure to insist upon strict enforcement of any provision(s) of this agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any provision or right.

This agreement and the resolution of any dispute related to this agreement or this site shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Michigan, without giving effect to any principles or conflicts of law. Any legal action or proceeding between Northern Trails Dental Care or its links, suppliers or vendors and you related to this agreement or this site shall be brought exclusively in a state or federal court of competent jurisdiction sitting in Marquette County, Michigan.

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All materials on this website, including the site’s design, layout, and organization, are owned and copyrighted by Northern Trails Dental Care or its suppliers or vendors, and are protected by U.S. and international copyrights.

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