Older People, Cosmetic Dentistry and Dental Implants

Dental implants – suitable for most generations.

When people think of cosmetic dentistry, generally, the age group that springs to mind is that of younger people, or at least, young to middle aged. On the whole, the idea of older people benefiting from cosmetic dental care probably rarely registers.

This may well be down to the ‘Hollywood Smile’ factor with the vast majority of people that are known to have had cosmetic procedures being actors or tv personalities. Does this mean then, that the older generation would not benefit from cosmetic dental procedures? At Arthur House Dental Care of Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield, we believe that this is not the case.

Enjoying later life

It is often said that youth is wasted on the young and many older people reading this will, no doubt, smile and agree. The reality is that people are now living longer and are generally healthier longer. No longer is reaching 60 the end of an active life and many people continue to be active and have a full social life well into their 80s, and even beyond.

Part of this lengthy and happy life depends on how we feel about ourselves and the way that we look. Whilst there is now a wider range of clothing for the older person to keep them feeling younger, unfortunately, our teeth cannot be changed as simply and easily. It is also a fact that, over time, our teeth will become discoloured and we may also lose a few along the way too.

In addition to this, as we get older we perhaps dine out more as part of our social life, with family and friends and having missing or weak teeth, can certainly spoil this enjoyment.

Dental care for older people

As with all patients, we encourage regular check ups at our Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield dental practice to ensure that any problems can be dealt with early on. Even these though, will not prevent progressive discolouration and unforeseen breakages of the teeth.

With the advances that have been made in cosmetic dentistry, there are now a number of procedures that are especially beneficial. The first of these is the fast and easy tooth whitening treatment. Although it is well known that some products such as tobacco will stain our teeth, fewer people realise that as we get older, the interior of our teeth naturally become darker. It is this that discolours our teeth and no amount of brushing will change it unfortunately. By applying a whitening gel to the teeth which is activated using a special light, our cosmetic dental team are able to lighten the internal structure of the tooth returning it to a much lighter shade. For those whose teeth are too badly stained to fully benefit from this procedure, and there are some, dental veneers may be an option which we will discuss with you at the consultation.

Lost teeth

Some older people may also have lost a number of teeth and are perhaps already wearing dentures, partial or full. Whilst dentures have played their role over the years, they are generally considered to be uncomfortable at times and may cause unexpected embarrassment too.

The dental implants we offer at Arthur House Dental Care are an excellent alternative to dentures and, once placed, are a long lasting and very strong solution. No more will you need to be concerned with what food is on your plate and whether your dentures will allow you to eat it. Because the titanium root is held firmly in place by the bone, you will have a replacement tooth that is as strong as a natural tooth and used in exactly the same way. For those that have a full arch of dentures, our ‘teeth in a day’ system may be beneficial, where a fixed bridge is held in place by dental implants. A similar type of treatment is also available to stabilise your current dentures.

We welcome people of all ages to our practice and if you would like to improve the appearance of your teeth, please call us on 0121 323 4492 and arrange a consultation.