{"id":100,"date":"2024-05-02T15:54:29","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T15:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/?p=100"},"modified":"2024-06-20T15:59:00","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T15:59:00","slug":"senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior Smiles: Why Are Older Adults More Prone to Gum Disease?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Nose-to-chin<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Here’s a surprising fact: did you know that according to the CDC, about 70% of adults who are 65 years or older have some form of gum disease<\/a>? It is also the leading cause of tooth loss, which means that most older adults are at an increased risk of having gaps in their grins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s natural to feel shocked by such statistics, and unfortunately, they\u2019re not just numbers. These figures represent a reality that many older adults face. Thankfully, there are things you can do to safeguard your smile. Continue reading to learn about 4 reasons older adults are more likely to develop periodontal problems so you can take steps to prevent them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Cause #1: Prescription Medications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As you get older, your body is more likely to develop certain conditions that can only be treated with prescription medications. For example, you\u2019re more likely to have heart issues, diabetes, depression, or anxiety. These are all addressed with drugs that can cause dry mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saliva is your mouth\u2019s natural defense against harmful bacteria that contribute to tooth decay and gum disease. Without enough of it, unwanted germs are allowed to thrive. They can cause halitosis (bad breath) in addition to gingivitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cause #2: Hormonal Changes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Women are particularly prone to gum disease in their later years because of menopause. The hormonal changes in your body can cause imbalances that lead to a painful periodontal condition known as desquamative gingivitis. Increased blood flow to your mouth combined with higher levels of sex hormones can lead to sore, bleeding, red, and swollen gums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cause #3: Malnutrition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another startling figure from the CDC is that 1 in 6 adults 65 years or older have lost all of their teeth. Missing pearly whites can impact a lot more than just your oral health. You could end up with gastrointestinal problems because you\u2019re unable to thoroughly chew your food into small enough pieces to be digested. You could also become malnourished if you\u2019re not able to enjoy fruits, vegetables, and meat that are too hard or chewy to bite into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not getting enough vitamin C, then your body won\u2019t have the nutrients it needs to keep your connective tissues strong. On top of that, your immune system won\u2019t be functioning at its peak, making it more vulnerable to harmful bacteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cause #4: Smoking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Smoking vapes or cigarettes can also increase the likelihood of having gum disease. In fact, smokers are twice as likely to have a periodontal issue as non-smokers. The risk only increases based on your daily usage; the more frequently you smoke, the more vulnerable you are. This is because tobacco suppresses your body\u2019s ability to fight infection. Plus, it constricts your blood vessels and limits your blood flow so that your teeth and gums don\u2019t receive all the nutrients necessary to remain healthy and strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cleaning your remaining teeth and gums twice daily, along with routine dental checkups, can help prevent periodontitis. That way, even if you\u2019re at a higher risk, you can still protect your grin!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Omega Dental of Bedford, you and your family benefit from a husband-and-wife dental duo that offers a full array of services under one roof. They take pride in helping people build and maintain their healthiest, happiest smiles. Whether you need basic preventative care or more complex procedures, they can help! By combining a compassionate approach with state-of-the-art technology, they can enhance your comfort while increasing treatment accuracy. If you\u2019re worried about gum disease and want an appointment, you can request one on the website<\/a> or call (817) 518-6915.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s a surprising fact: did you know that according to the CDC, about 70% of adults who are 65 years or older have some form of gum disease? It is also the leading cause of tooth loss, which means that most older adults are at an increased risk of having gaps in their grins. It\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nSenior Smiles: Why Are Older Adults More Prone to Gum Disease? | Omega Dental of Bedford<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you\u2019re 65 years or older, you\u2019re more likely to develop periodontal disease. Read on to learn 4 reasons why so you can prevent it!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Senior Smiles: Why Are Older Adults More Prone to Gum Disease? | Omega Dental of Bedford\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you\u2019re 65 years or older, you\u2019re more likely to develop periodontal disease. Read on to learn 4 reasons why so you can prevent it!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Omega Dental Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-02T15:54:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-20T15:59:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AdobeStock_495552875-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"myomega\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"myomega\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/02\\\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/02\\\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"myomega\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/950ec0146fec8d3128459bd2ad0b5c5e\"},\"headline\":\"Senior Smiles: Why Are Older Adults More Prone to Gum Disease?\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-02T15:54:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-20T15:59:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/02\\\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":611,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/02\\\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/AdobeStock_495552875-300x200.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/02\\\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/02\\\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\\\/\",\"name\":\"Senior Smiles: Why Are Older Adults More Prone to Gum Disease? | Omega Dental of Bedford\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/02\\\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/02\\\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/AdobeStock_495552875-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-02T15:54:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-20T15:59:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/950ec0146fec8d3128459bd2ad0b5c5e\"},\"description\":\"If you\u2019re 65 years or older, you\u2019re more likely to develop periodontal disease. Read on to learn 4 reasons why so you can prevent it!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/02\\\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/02\\\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/02\\\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/AdobeStock_495552875-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/AdobeStock_495552875-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/02\\\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Senior Smiles: Why Are Older Adults More Prone to Gum Disease?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Omega Dental Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/950ec0146fec8d3128459bd2ad0b5c5e\",\"name\":\"myomega\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.myomegadental.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/myomega\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Senior Smiles: Why Are Older Adults More Prone to Gum Disease? | Omega Dental of Bedford","description":"If you\u2019re 65 years or older, you\u2019re more likely to develop periodontal disease. Read on to learn 4 reasons why so you can prevent it!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Senior Smiles: Why Are Older Adults More Prone to Gum Disease? | Omega Dental of Bedford","og_description":"If you\u2019re 65 years or older, you\u2019re more likely to develop periodontal disease. Read on to learn 4 reasons why so you can prevent it!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/","og_site_name":"Omega Dental Blog","article_published_time":"2024-05-02T15:54:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-06-20T15:59:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AdobeStock_495552875-300x200.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"myomega","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"myomega","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/"},"author":{"name":"myomega","@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/950ec0146fec8d3128459bd2ad0b5c5e"},"headline":"Senior Smiles: Why Are Older Adults More Prone to Gum Disease?","datePublished":"2024-05-02T15:54:29+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-20T15:59:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/"},"wordCount":611,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AdobeStock_495552875-300x200.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/","url":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/","name":"Senior Smiles: Why Are Older Adults More Prone to Gum Disease? | Omega Dental of Bedford","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AdobeStock_495552875-300x200.jpg","datePublished":"2024-05-02T15:54:29+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-20T15:59:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/950ec0146fec8d3128459bd2ad0b5c5e"},"description":"If you\u2019re 65 years or older, you\u2019re more likely to develop periodontal disease. Read on to learn 4 reasons why so you can prevent it!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AdobeStock_495552875-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AdobeStock_495552875-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/02\/senior-smiles-why-are-older-adults-more-prone-to-gum-disease\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Senior Smiles: Why Are Older Adults More Prone to Gum Disease?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/","name":"Omega Dental Blog","description":"","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/950ec0146fec8d3128459bd2ad0b5c5e","name":"myomega","url":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/author\/myomega\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102,"href":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100\/revisions\/102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myomegadental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}