Biting into life: oral health and your wellbeing

As we age, some parts of our bodies—such as hips, knees, ears, and eyes—just don’t seem to last the distance, and often we need a bit of medical attention to keep things working smoothly. Does the same hold true for our teeth? Were they designed to last only a few decades, or should you be able to flash your own teeth in photos of your 100th birthday party?

The term ‘oral health’ refers to the overall condition of the mouth, teeth and all the associated facial structures, and it can affect your wellbeing in more ways than you might realise. Having a healthy smile is not just about looking like a movie star in those photos!

Boost your wellbeing

Good oral health is essential for quality of life. It affects your ability to eat, talk and breathe, and it’s linked to good overall health. It can influence how comfortable you are when socialising or interacting with others. And it can help you feel empowered to manage your life and feel in control of your choices.

A healthy mouth means we eat better and feel better—and we feel more confident socially, which brings its own far-reaching benefits. Our own sense of self-confidence and self-worth is stronger if we’re not in pain from the teeth or mouth or embarrassed by our smile. Feeling confident and knowing our value puts us in a better position to live full lives, interact with other people, and stand up for ourselves if we need to.

Many older people dismiss the degeneration of their teeth as an inevitable part of ageing or a cosmetic issue that doesn’t matter anymore. But it’s important for our wellbeing that we don’t give in to viewing life passively. Life is better when we do whatever we can to stay positive, active and healthy. (Read more about this is ‘Be rights savvy!’)

Good oral health is good for our general health

Doctors now recognise that good oral health is necessary for good overall health, with recent research connecting it to systemic diseases (such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s) and respiratory infections (such as pneumonia).

The risk of developing any kind of cancer increases with age, but alcohol or tobacco use and infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) heighten the risk of oral cancers. Regular professional dental care can help to avoid oral cancers through early detection—visits to the dentist provide opportunities for any cancer signs to be detected. Early detection often leads to simple management of the disease, but a late diagnosis may mean a different story.

You can support your oral health by monitoring things at home. Look out for any change in the colour or contour of your mouth or any oral ulcers or wounds that don’t heal quickly. If something doesn’t seem right, get it checked.

The biggest oral health problems

• Gum disease is an infection caused by bacteria in plaque on our teeth, and over half of all Australians over the age of 65 years have gum disease or periodontitis. While some people are genetically more susceptible to gum disease, it can generally be controlled with good home care and thorough, regular professional dental cleaning.

• Tooth decay is also an infection from plaque bacteria, which metabolise sugar to produce acid that dissolves the surface of the teeth. A high sugar diet, medical conditions such as diabetes, and loss of saliva all affect the severity of tooth decay. The good news is that you can generally prevent decay by practising good home dental care, reducing your sugar intake, and using protective fluoride and calcium gels and pastes.

• Tooth wear and breakage occurs because our teeth become more brittle and acid erosion from gastric reflux, diet or reduced saliva softens the surface of the teeth. Clenching and grinding teeth, which can be a side effect of some common medications, increases wear and tear and makes heavily restored teeth more likely to break. Regular professional care can limit the risks.

• Saliva changes happen as we age and commonly (but not always) appear as a dry mouth. They can be caused by salivary gland changes, dehydration and medication side effects. Saliva changes put us at greater risk of oral disease—not only tooth and tooth root decay, but also oral infections and trauma to soft tissue, which can increase the risk of oral cancer. Good dental management at home as well as regular professional care can limit these effects.

Four top tips for improving your oral health

1. Clean your teeth regularly and thoroughly to remove plaque and bacteria.

2. Eat a well-balanced, low-sugar diet – for advice, look at Eating well in your 60s, 70s and Beyond

3. Manage dry mouth and saliva changes – see The ABCs of dehydration

4. Regularly attend the dentist, hygienist or oral health therapist for professional care.

Good teeth are for any age

While recent data suggests that about 1 in 5 people over 65 have lost all their teeth, there’s good news: as the generations raised on fluoridated water (mostly since the 1960s and 1970s) age, more older Australians are able to retain their natural teeth. Advances in disease prevention, early intervention and changing clinical techniques have improved the chances of us ageing with a healthy, natural smile.

Being older should not be a barrier to having most functional or cosmetic dental treatments done on your teeth, so if you’re interested in improving your smile, go ahead and discuss the available options with your dentist.

And if people tell you that ‘at your age, you don’t need to worry about having good teeth’ or ‘your teeth are pretty good for someone your age’, you don’t have to listen! Comments like these reflect ‘ageist’ attitudes, and there is no reason for you not to maintain your smile as you get older.

Treatments for whitening or straightening teeth and replacing older, unsightly restorations are all readily available, and new clinical techniques in dental care have expanded the options for saving or replacing troublesome teeth. Procedures like gum and bone regeneration, root treatment, dentures, crown and bridgework, and implant-supported tooth replacement can all help you maintain oral health.

Maintaining our natural teeth for our lifetime is now a reality, with good home care and regular professional care tailored to the changing needs of age. Remember, though, that no artificial replacement will work as well as the natural tooth, so keeping healthy natural teeth is always the best option where possible and often better financially as well.

It’s worth the effort

Many older people, particularly those who are no longer living independently, often experience difficulties accessing dental care. There are many complex reasons for this, including cost, experience, fear, timely access to professional care, and personal priorities. Overcoming these barriers is essential for improving our oral health.

Being able to beam your own great smile in that photo on your 100th birthday is not just a possibility but a reality. It may require some extra effort from you at home, a healthy diet low in sugar, and an investment in regular professional dental care, but the benefits are enormous—not just to your oral health, but also to your general health and quality of life.

Dr Wayne Sherson [BDS with Distinction Otago MSc (Dent) Sydney] is a registered dentist with 40 years’ experience. His practice interests include oral health and systemic health, periodontics and complex restorative care. Wayne retired from clinical practice in 2023 but continues to provide continuing education to the profession through the Australian Dental Association NSW Centre for Professional Development.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this website is not a substitute for individual health advice from your doctor or dentist.