Dental health and cosmetic dentistry a viable option for everyone

People are flocking to the chair to have veneers, crowns, orthodontics, and teeth-whitening procedures, and it’s not just the young… baby boomers are also lining up. Acceptance of these procedures as main stream is sure to be a contributor to the yesterday’s 60 year old looking today not a day over 50.

Once upon a time a dazzling smile was the easiest way to win someone over, and nowadays everyone can own that smile, for a price that is.

Australians are spending three times more on their teeth than they did 15 years ago, and according to reports a large percentage of this is going into cosmetic dentistry.

Ethos Orthodontics treatment coordinator Fiona McTaggart said the days when only school children wore braces were gone, as even men and women in their late sixties were now having their teeth straightened.

“There is definitely a much larger emphasis on cosmetic dentistry nowadays. I think people are more aware of their looks, and aesthetics is really important to them. Also, I think thanks to marketing people are more aware of their options now. Years ago for orthodontics you had to be referred by a dentist, whereas now you see an ad and you make an appointment,” Ms McTaggart said.

Ms McTaggart said the marked increase in the number of adults having orthodontic work done was partly due to new and less intrusive procedures.

Exploration geologist and amateur actor Jean-Marc Manning has, at the age of forty-four, recently begun the Invisalign treatment, which uses a series of clear moulds to gradually move teeth into alignment.

Just four months in, the treatment seems to be working.

“My upper jaw is aligned amazingly well, and the lower jaw’s slowly coming. It had one or two teeth that were completely off and they’re now coming into alignment,” he said.

Mr Manning said he had been considering straightening his teeth for some time. His dentist had recommended it may be worthwhile, as the overcrowding of his teeth could cause problems with his hearing later in life. Mr Manning said while his dentist’s recommendation had played a part, his decision was also a cosmetic one.

“It wasn’t really a huge issue but it still was enough to affect my confidence, especially because I’m acting. When you see people with crooked teeth or bad teeth it’s something that’s really noticeable. It wasn’t so bad with me but it was crooked enough that I always felt I could do something about it.”

Unfortunately, while considerable effort and funds are being put into cosmetic dentistry, it seems many are choosing to ignore the basics of dental care.

The average life expectancy of Australians is increasing, and so it seems is the life of their teeth. A person in their mid to late thirties can now expect to keep most of their teeth for life. Unlike previous generations, less people are losing their teeth as they age thanks to new technologies and better dental hygiene.

But dentists are warning that as we are keeping our teeth longer, it is important to maintain a thorough dental health routine to avoid the risk of more complex oral health issues. It seems that adults are now more commonly battling with problems such as decay, gum disease, dental erosion and gum recession.

Too often, dental education is focused on younger generations, when in fact it is important to practise correct dental care at any age.

The Australian Dental Association (ADA) believes what is needed is investment in our oral health now to prevent costly restorative work in the future.

ADA Queensland president Dr John Wills said no matter how busy people’s lives were nowadays, it was critical that they not neglect their teeth.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure, and yet we end up with a situation where decay is too often let go. For people with busy lives procrastination seems to be the order of the day. Unfortunately you can take what might have been a simple filling and it can become root canal treatment and multiply the cost by ten. These are people that regularly get their cars serviced, so why not get their teeth serviced? They’re worth a lot more,” Dr Wills said.

The word on taking care of our teeth and gums has not changed in a long time. Dental health still revolves around brushing correctly at least twice a day, flossing at least once a day, and visiting a dentist every six months for a check up.

However, it is this last step that people seem to have trouble finding time for, and Dr Wills said people underestimated how important it was in detecting problems early.

“Gum disease is a slow insidious disease with no obvious symptoms in the earlier stages. People can get to the point of having quite serious gum disease without realising, whereas a dentist will pick it up a lot earlier,” he said.

There is certainly cause for the older age group to take gum disease seriously, as the condition has been proven to have a close correlation with cardiovascular disease.

“Basically if you’ve got serious gum disease you’re more likely to build up the plaques that clog the arteries. That’s one of the major reasons when you get older to address gum disease,” Dr Wills said.

One thing that is likely to impact on the rate of oral health problems in Queensland is the fluoridation of the state’s water supply later this year. The move is one the ADA strongly condones.

“We are very fortunate in Queensland that we will soon have a fluoridated water supply. It’s not a silver bullet, you still have to do all the right things, but fluoridation is going to reduce the severity and incidence of tooth decay,” Dr Wills said.

For more information on dental health visit www.ada.org.au.

Article provided by The Retiree Magazine

Dental health and cosmetic dentistry a viable option for everyone

Recent Articles

Popular Articles