Your dental health is likely to take a beating as you age, but you have a say on the degree to which you will suffer dental complications in your old age. Here are some tips to help you maintain good and beautiful teeth into old age.

Replace Lost Teeth

Teeth loss is more common in the elderly than in young people, and there are reasons for this. For one, the lifetime accumulation of bad dental habits, teeth damage, and dental diseases are likely to culminate into teeth loss in old age. Apart from that, the body naturally weakens with age, the bones (including the jaw bones) lose their density, and your teeth are more likely to fall off in old age than in your younger days. Since tooth loss is common in old age, you can make your teeth and smile look younger by replacing any lost teeth you may be dealing with. There are several good options for the replacement, ranging from dental implants to dental bridges. Talk to your dentist to help you figure out the best option for your condition.

Restore Damaged Teeth

As hinted above, most of the bad dental habits and dental diseases people experience may create long-term dental problems that may rear their ugly head in old age. Even if your teeth don't fall out in your senior years, they are likely to be eroded, worn down, cracked, or even full of cavities. Taking care of these damages will make you look younger than your peers. For example, you need to fill the cavities and cover up the damages, say with dental bonding treatment, to make your teeth whole again.

Whiten Discolored Teeth

Another dental problem people face in old age is that of teeth discoloration. One reason for this is that, as you age, your enamel wears and exposes the colored dentin underneath. Another reason is the discoloration caused by a lifetime of discoloring food such as wine and bad habits such as smoking. Fortunately, you can always whiten your teeth or cover them up with suitable materials, such as veneers, and make your smile brighter.

Deal With Gum Recession

Lastly, you may also have to deal with gum recession if you don't want your teeth or smile to appear "old." Since gum recession is a progressive dental condition, it makes sense that it is more pronounced in senior citizens as compared to the younger population. Fortunately, treatment options such as root planning, flap scaling, and soft tissue graft, among others, can help you make your gums beautiful again.