Ever Noticed That Your Family Dentistry Treats You Differently As You Age? 

Did you know that when you visit us for your dental checkup, we look at your teeth and gums differently depending on your age? Just as your medical needs might change with age, there are different areas that we focus on and risk factors we check for as your age advances. Family dentistry means that your dentist treats you—and your teeth and gums— differently as you age.  

Establishing Healthy Habits in Children

While we don’t usually see children for dental checkups before the age of 3 or 4 years, good oral care begins even before the first teeth erupt. Getting into the habit of cleaning infants’ gums every day will make the transition to a toothbrush easier when the time comes. When children do come into our dental office for a checkup we look for signs of proper brushing and reinforce the importance of caring for teeth—even the baby ones! Examining young children also gives us the opportunity to ensure that mouths and jaws are developing in a healthy way that isn’t likely to result in painful conditions, such as TMJ or migraines, later in life. Family dentistry for young children is mainly about developing healthy habits and being on the lookout for signs of developing issues.  

Reinforcing Proper Care for Teens 

When teens visit the dentist there are generally two areas we focus on. Any structural issues that we have been watching since early childhood, including misalignment or malocclusion (when the top and bottom teeth do not meet correctly), can often be addressed relatively easily at this stage, with braces and retainers. Teenagers also need their oral care habits reinforced to take good care of their brand-new adult teeth. Learning about the effects that certain types of food and beverages have on teeth is good information as teens become more in control of their own food intake. Getting it right now will lead to good habits for the future!

Lifestyle Can Affect Young Adult Teeth

If you’ve been visiting the dentist regularly since you were a child, then chances are that your teeth and gums are in pretty good shape by the time you reach early adulthood. But people at this age sometimes develop new lifestyle habits that are not ideal for oral health including smoking, drinking, and changes in diet. When we see patients at this stage, we educate them about preventative measures, and also about how to counter the effects of foods that stain teeth, damage enamel, and the risk factors for gum disease. For patients that maintained a great record of regular checkups, we dispel some of the myths about oral care and do any damage control with restorative dentistry before things get out of hand. 

Cosmetic Dentistry for Older Adults

Older adults don’t necessarily experience significant physiological changes that affect oral health, but we sometimes see that the culmination of sloppy habits, combined with lifestyle, stress and other facts of life catching up to them. Older adults often come to us looking for cosmetic treatments such as veneers, teeth whitening, bonding, and dental implants. Before starting any cosmetic procedure we do an assessment to ensure that there are no underlying issues, such as gum disease or bone loss, that need to be addressed first in order to ensure that the cosmetic treatment is successful. 

Factors Affecting Seniors – Family Dentistry

Seniors often have special challenges in keeping up with their oral health. Many of the senior patients in our family dental practice have taken excellent care and have healthy teeth to prove it. However, even with the best habits, conditions such as diabetes, osteoporosis, vascular disorders, and some medications can have a negative effect on teeth and gums. Losing teeth is sometimes unavoidable and necessitates the need for partial or full dentures that result in further challenges in terms of keeping remaining teeth, gums, and bones healthy. 

At the heart of a family dentistry practice like ours, is the commitment to ensuring our patients’ good oral health. However, that care takes on a different focus and characteristics throughout the stages of life. That’s why, if you are a new patient it is important for us to ask your age. Knowing where you are in life helps us to narrow down what to look for and what to focus on as we work together to keep your mouth healthy.

Dr. Sidhu, a dentist in Midland, and the Midland Bay Dental team provide preventative oral healthcare to patients of all ages in Midland, Ontario. Call us at 705- 526-6441 or book an appointment on our website for your next dental checkup.