Geriatric dentistry is the delivery of dental care to older adults. It is gradually increasing in importance because of the great age shift in our living population. Declining immunity in old age and coexisting medical problems further complicate dental care in the elderly.
The world's aging population today is particularly prone to dental diseases like tooth decay, gum disease and most often, missing teeth. These problems arise due to prior neglect, ill-fitting dentures, oral ulcers, dry mouth syndrome, oral cancers and sometimes, edentulism or complete loss of teeth.
Perceptions of this state of teeth loss may lead to a wide range of negative emotional reactions, from feeling mildly inconvenienced or annoyed to feeling severely handicapped.
Often, elderly people regard the loss of teeth as equivalent to the loss of a body part. Helping such patients adapt to dentures can be one of the most difficult, yet one of the most rewarding aspects of clinical dentistry.
We here at Simply Smiles realise that a healthy mouth plays an integral part in maintaining the well being of our patients getting on in age, and we provide a wide array of available options. It is this approach of our doctors towards the dental disorders characteristic of old age that has helped us forge lasting relationships with our elderly patients.