Dental correction for the elderly

Of course, when you enter old age, your teeth will start to fall out. So when it comes to orthodontic treatment for the elderly, they usually strengthen and stabilize their teeth, which will allow their teeth to fall out slowly. In addition, food tastes better when you have teeth, but without teeth, you may not want to eat anything. So in order for the elderly to enjoy family happiness, orthodontic treatment is imperative. So how do you correct the teeth of the elderly?

1. After orthodontic treatment, teeth become loose: Teeth are in a balance between stability and movement. Orthodontic treatment temporarily breaks this balance through external force. The bone remodeling caused by orthodontic treatment brings about physiological movement of teeth. It is normal to have a certain degree of looseness during the movement process. When the teeth move to a new position, they naturally return to balance and stabilize again. Therefore, orthodontic treatment causes loose teeth.

2. I am already 35 years old and cannot undergo orthodontic treatment: Many people believe that orthodontics is only for children and young people, and that middle-aged and elderly people cannot undergo orthodontic treatment. In fact, this view is wrong. As long as the periodontal tissues are healthy, orthodontic treatment can be performed.

3. Tooth extraction is a must for correction: Tooth extraction is a common method to provide space, but it is not the only method. In addition to tooth extraction, which can create space and effectively solve the problem of crowded teeth and protrusion of teeth, there are many other methods in clinical practice, such as expanding the dental arch forward and backward or left and right, and slice cutting (grinding the teeth appropriately). Which method is more suitable must be determined by seeking a professional orthodontist for examination.

4. You will lose your teeth when you get older after orthodontic treatment: Currently in my country, periodontitis has become the primary cause of tooth loss in adults. In other words, the so-called tooth loss is mainly due to periodontitis causing loose teeth, and the key pathogenic factor of periodontitis is oral plaque microorganisms. Whether you have periodontitis has nothing to do with whether you have had orthodontic treatment. Therefore, the biggest misunderstanding about tooth correction is that you will lose your teeth when you get older after orthodontic treatment. No doubt about it!

6. The magical 7-day rapid correction method: The so-called rapid correction with cosmetic crowns, which is known as the emerging technology of beautiful teeth, is essentially grinding teeth smaller and then making porcelain crowns. For the sake of beauty, it damages the health of teeth. To change the arrangement of healthy teeth, the correct solution is to wear orthodontics, which usually takes about two years. The physiological movement of teeth is a slow process, and correction must pay the price of time. There is no shortcut.

8. Tooth correction with braces affects aesthetics: There are many flexible correction methods. The current mainstream technology is fixed braces that are glued to the teeth and cannot be removed by the patient. In addition, there are lingual corrections placed on the inner side of the teeth and invisible corrections without brackets that the patient can freely remove, which do not affect the aesthetics. Patients can make choices based on their needs.

9. Speeding up the follow-up during the correction period can shorten the treatment process: Tooth movement is a slow physiological movement, with an average of 1mm per month. If the teeth and periodontal tissues lose the time to rest due to frequent follow-up visits, it may lead to irreversible adverse consequences. Tooth correction cannot be forced, and physiological laws must be respected.