Smile with Confidence: A Comprehensive Guide to Dental Health and Care

Teeth and aging

Common Dental Questions, dental care questions and answers, dental health tips, cosmetic and restorative dentistry, dental technology, ask a dentist about teeth and aging

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Health Benefits of Milk

Traditionally, milk is known for being good for teeth and bones. When you don’t have the time to pack lunch for the kids you don’t hesitate to remind them to buy milk. When did milk become the drink of choice for healthy teeth and bones? In fact, milk was so popular in America during the 50s and 60s that there was an occupation dedicated to delivering milk to homes. This healthy beverage continued momentum during the “Got Milk” ad campaign in the 90s and featured famous celebrities, including Britney Spears. Here you will find out why milk is still a recommended drink by dentists.

How Do Teeth Age?

Teeth are not quite as unique as snowflakes, however, they do vary in size, shape and location in the jaw.  These differences in the teeth are what give our face shape and form and how we chew, speak or smile.  Did you know that we are born with 20 baby teeth (a/k/a “primary teeth”) that will begin to “erupt” or break through at about 6 months, and, by age 12, all 32 of our permanent teeth have usually erupted?

A Child’s Smile

There are many gap-toothed photos of you in your parents’ family albums.  Face it, all of a sudden your “cuteness quotient” goes down substantially when you begin losing those baby teeth.  The first teeth to go are the lower center teeth (a/k/a the lower center incisors) at approximately 6 to 7 years old.  Next are the top center pair.   It’s scary looking when you resemble a Halloween pumpkin, but, at least the Tooth Fairy helps make this time bearable.  Happily, a baby tooth typically doesn’t loosen until the permanent tooth below pushes it up to take its place.

When Do Teeth Start to Age?

Causes of Tooth Discoloration

Over time many people discover that the pearly white teeth they had in their youth have become discolored. It can become quite unsightly and some people become embarrassed to smile. Once you have discovered that your teeth have become discolored, you can ask your about the treatment options you have available.  Your dentist has many options when it comes to teeth whitening such as an in office tooth whitening, or something as simple as suggesting a change in your diet. If your teeth are discolored you should ask your dentist about the options you have for teeth whitening.

What Teeth say about Overall Health

Next time you visit your dentist you may tell him more about yourself than you realize. Your dentist might learn a lot about your overall health simply by performing a routine dental exam. A client who has teeth that the enamel has worn down on might be stressed out and grinding their teeth during the night. Your teeth, gums and the tissues found in the mouth can share a lot about the state of your overall health. Sometimes the dentist might be the first health care professional who warns you of health conditions. Here are a few things your mouth might be saying about you.

Teeth and Aging

Getting older can be challenging, especially considering all the health problems that can accompany this time of life. All too often, as we age, we begin to feel aches and pains that we never had before. We sometimes find we can’t do the things we used to, or at least we can’t do them with the speed or zeal we once did. But with all the challenges thrown at us as our bodies age, whoever considered their teeth would age too? Unfortunately, it’s true. Your teeth age just as the rest of your body does. In fact, as the health of your teeth goes, often so goes the health of the rest of your body. Recent studies have shown a link between the health of the teeth and the overall health of some of the body’s other functions, such as the cardiac system. So what can you do about this fact of life? Is there even anything that can be done to slow the aging process of your teeth? Top dental offices have answers to these and other questions about teeth and aging.