Menu

Don't Let Dieting Impact Your Oral Health

About Me

Don't Let Dieting Impact Your Oral Health

Like many people who need to lose a few pounds, I try diet after diet in an attempt to find one that finally works for me. I learned the hard way that I need to make sure any diet will not harm my teeth, even if it does help me lose a few pounds. I learned this lesson when following a grapefruit diet. There are many versions of this, but the version I tried had me eat a grapefruit alone several times each day. It was supposed to suppress my appetite. I helped keep me from munching on unhealthy snacks, but the acid in the fruit took a toll on my tooth enamel and I quickly started getting lots of cavities. I created this blog to remind people that change up their diets often to make sure the foods they are eating are not harming their teeth.

Why Do Older People Tend To Have Weak Jawlines?

2 November 2018
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

You've probably noticed at one point or another that older folks don't tend to have the strong, chiseled bones in their jaw like young people do. Maybe you've considered that it could be due to osteoporosis or another problem. In reality, weak jaws in old age tend to start with the condition of one's teeth. Here's how it happens and what you can do to avoid such a problem yourself.

Tooth Loss Chance

Losing a tooth might seem like a rare occurrence or something that only happens to older people, but that's actually not true. 69% of people aged 35-44 have lost at least one tooth, and by the time people reach old age, they're likely to have lost all of them. So yes, there's a good chance that the people you've seen with weakened jaws in old age have lost some or all of their teeth.

Weakened Bones

The reason why lost teeth is linked to the jaw bone is that the two are reliant on each other. The jaw bone helps to keep the teeth in place and provides a sturdy foundation for them. In turn, when you bite down on your teeth, that allows for a transfer of pressure leading all the way down the tooth, back to the jaw. This motion encourages the jaw to build new bone, keeping it strong. However, if those teeth aren't sending pressure anymore, then the jaw will weaken as a result and become thin and brittle.

Many people who have the thinner jaws later in life due to tooth loss actually started losing their teeth at a young age. The longer the teeth are missing, the weaker the jaw will become, after all.

Avoiding It

If you don't want this to happen to you, the good news is that you can fight it, even if you've already lost one or more teeth. If you haven't lost any teeth yet, good job. Maintain a regular hygiene schedule of flossing and brushing to ensure that both your teeth and gums stay healthy and supported.

If you've already lost teeth, you should do the above. However, you should also get in touch with a dentist, like those at Smile City, to talk about dental implants.

Dental implants are built to resemble and function like real teeth, including their ability to transfer pressure. Getting dental implants will help to restore some of your lost bone or prevent you from losing any at all if you act quickly.

Dental implants are the key to avoiding the look of a thin, weak jaw in old age. Take good care of your teeth and get any missing ones replaced to avoid having this look yourself someday.