Wednesday, September 5, 2012

A Dentist Can Help Senior Citizens With Oral Issues

If you are a senior citizen, your dental care is very important. You may have some specific situations in your mouth, or your financial situation may have changed, making it harder to afford frequent care. As you get older, your health naturally declines and sometimes you are left with no choice but to have your bad teeth extracted, which is often what the government program Medicare covers.
Sensitive teeth are a common problem in seniors, and this is often a result of them being loose due to lack of good dental care. So as soon as you start noticing that they are sensitive, you should make an appointment with your dentist so that you can get treatment for them to avoid the serious gum diseases. As you age, chances of this get higher, as a healthy diet is harder to achieve without getting help. If you struggle getting to your dentist, get some help so that you can get there for good dental care.
A good way to make sure that you are practicing good dental hygiene is by brushing twice a day and flossing at least once a day. Your dentist can help you find specialty toothbrushes to help you get to those hard to reach places in your mouth. You also need to know what to watch for to avoid tooth decay, mouth cancers, and dry mouth.
Often, the only choice you have is to have all your teeth pulled and have them replaced with dentures. Sometimes you can just replace a few teeth or replace them all due to rampant gum disease, or from an injury to your mouth. It is necessary that you get your teeth replaced right away so that your remaining teeth do not move. This way, you can talk and properly chew your food and continue to get your proper nutrition.
Dentures are not cheap, however, as they do cost anywhere between $400 and $8,000. How much you will need to pay depends on extensiveness of your situation and how much preparatory dental work you may need to help your dentures fit comfortably in your mouth. It will cost more if you have to travel to a prosthodontist as well as any specialty tools that may be necessary to help the dentures fit. Your fee will also depend on how much Medicare and/or your dental insurance will cover and what kind of warranty is available for your particular appliance.
When your homework is complete, you should have a great dentist and dentures that are the right fit for your mouth so that you can eat, talk, and live comfortably.

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