BODY SIGNAL ALERT: HOW THE MOUTH AGES
Thanks to water fluoridation and a conscientious dental campaign by the American Dental Association, many children today will go through life cavity free. The rest of us weren’t so lucky. Although Americans as a whole practice better oral hygiene today, years of neglect and regular childhood visits to the dentist for another round of cavities to be filled mean that your teeth are still at risk because fillings can crumble unnoticed, leaving the tooth open to further decay and eventual loss.
In normal aging, the muscles that control the mouth gradually lose their strength when people reach their late 60s and early 70s, which can result in problems with chewing. When you lose some muscle tone, you may find that it’s difficult to close your mouth fully.
The bone mass of the jaw also becomes more porous with age, in addition to a decrease in exercise and less calcium in the diet. This can lead to loosening of the teeth, but it’s never too late to increase your intake of calcium as well as start to walk a mile or two each day, which will help reverse the loss of bone. It’s also possible foods you once thought were overly spicy seem almost bland due to a decrease in your sense of taste. Aging reduces the number of taste buds on the tongue, as well as the sensitivity of the ones that remain. Although your taste buds may at last be able to handle Tabasco sauce, your stomach may tend to rebel more than before as it becomes more sensitive.
Undoubtedly, the loss of taste sensation combined with a loss of teeth will probably affect your diet. The good news is that, for many people, a loss of taste means that you may finally lose some of those unwanted pounds. But you should be careful not to lose too much weight, since a significant weight loss can result in a lowered immune system.
Fortunately, oral health can be improved with regular attention and professional treatment and becomes acute only later in life if you have neglected your teeth and gums. It’s easy to improve your oral health by visiting your dentist annually, or more often if you want to play it safe.
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