Your Teeth, Your Smile

Preparing for Retirement 
 
Retirement. The word conjures up images of happy times without work to interfere with whatever we want to do. One of the things that we need to prepare for retirement is our health, especially our dental health. Healthcare is the most expensive outlay for those already retired. Usually this is an unexpected and unplanned expense as well. Well there are some things you can do to get the costs for your dental health under control in retirement. 
 
Firstly, whatever age you are it is a good idea to talk to your dentist about a plan for your dental health. It’s never too early to plan ahead. There are several areas that should be taken care of so that only regular review exams and cleaning are required. Nothing lasts forever and unfortunately this also includes fillings and other dental work. I will run through the areas that need to be under control.  
 
DECAY 
It sounds obvious that decay or holes need to be fixed. Often you can’t tell there is decay or holes until X-rays are taken by your dentist. There is a new piece of technology called a diagnostic laser that will also be able to tell if there is decay when you can’t see it. Both of these are completely painless.  
 
GUMS 
The gums are the foundations for our teeth. If there are problems with the gums there can be more problems with the teeth. Even regular brushing may not stop bacteria or germs getting underneath the gum which leads to periodontal disease. Many people aren’t aware they have periodontal disease or gum problems. The same x-rays and diagnostic laser can help to determine if you have gum problems. Regular cleaning by your dentist is essential to ensure any problems don’t lead to losing teeth from the gum problems.  
 
BITE  
Your bite is very important to your overall dental health. Actually your bite can cause lots of other health problems like headaches, blurry vision, ringing in your ears, and many others. The most common problem with a bad bite is worn down teeth. Teeth are pretty strong but that is due to the enamel on the outside, inside they are quite soft and once the enamel is gone teeth will wear almost before your eyes. A bad or mis-aligned bite needs to be fixed or your teeth and any dental work will wear much faster than they should and breakages, chips and cracks can occur.  
 
FILLINGS/ DENTAL RESTORATIONS 
Fillings don’t last forever and if you have any fillings that are old they are best replaced earlier rather than later. Old fillings can cause teeth to break. Broken teeth and fillings are the most common dental problem. Often it is better to get a longer lasting material even though the initial cost is higher than to replace them more often with a cheaper material. Longer lasting fillings are called inlays, onlays and crowns. The goal of a good dentist is to decrease the rate of things breaking down.  
 
There are lots of other important areas like diet, medications, brushing, flossing, environmental issues, saliva but the best thing is to talk to your dentist about a lifetime dental plan.  
 
By Dr Paul Holliday 

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