Geriatric Dentistry
What is Geriatric Dentistry?
Geriatric dentistry is the delivery of dental care to older adults, involving the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of problems associated with normal aging and age related diseases.
Unlike your baby teeth, your permanent set of teeth don’t have a defined lifespan. While we often associate tooth loss with advanced age, there’s no hard and fast rule about when we start losing teeth – that is, if we lose them at all. If you’ve taken good care of your teeth during much of your life, there’s a good chance your teeth will last your whole life. But teeth do experience wear and tear as we age – that’s why there’s geriatric dentistry. Geriatric dentistry is exactly what it sounds like: Dental care that focuses on the special needs and comforts of senior citizens.
Are dentures part of geriatric dentistry?
Absolutely. At Del Rio Dentistry, Dr. Mora and his staff provide dentures to seniors in the Del Rio and surrounding County areas. Geriatric dentistry is one of our many services. When you or one of your family members come in for dentures, we’ll measure carefully and precisely, to ensure a safe and comfortable fit that’ll last a long time.
How are extractions handled in geriatric dentistry?
If you have a tooth – or teeth – that are decayed to the point that they need to be extracted, we’ll remove them. But don’t be too quick to ask any dentist to remove existing teeth.
If you’ve lost teeth over the years, it’s still important to care for the ones you’ve got left Geriatric dentistry – indeed, dentistry in general – thrives on caring for natural, existing teeth, which are much stronger than any dentures. Even if you’ve only got a few natural teeth left, bridges and dentures could be anchored to those, making them more useful than you might suspect.
Can geriatric dentistry help me with implants and supported dentures?
Yes. Dr. Mora and the staff at Del Rio Dentistry excel at implant dentistry, bone augmentation, and bone reshaping and contouring.