No matter what age, prevention is key to maintaining good oral health. Knowing what particular dental problems you are at risk for developing and how you can reduce those risks will help you decide the most appropriate means to prevent dental problems.

As people progress from adolescence to adulthood and into their senior years, the susceptibility to various dental problems changes. Each person's risk factors are unique. A thorough understanding of what they are is necessary to adequately reduce those risks.

Tooth decay
During the first three decades of life the primary cause of tooth loss is decay. From the middle 30s to the late 50s, periodontal (gum) disease is identified as the main reason teeth are removed. And after 60-years-old, tooth decay is again the major cause of tooth loss.

But the type and extent of tooth decay experienced by seniors is very different from that affecting children. Decay in late life often occurs around the edges of fillings and crowns or on root surfaces of teeth that are exposed because of gum recession. This kind of tooth decay advances rapidly and is generally difficult and expensive to treat. It frequently requires a larger filling or new crown to be placed. If the problem is isolated to the root of a tooth all that may be necessary is a filling, but this is more the exception than the rule. In some instances because the decay is so extensive the tooth may need a root canal or must be removed.

Dentures
For those seniors who use dentures or removable partials there is additional concern. Throughout life, the bone and tissues supporting replacement teeth continue to undergo remodeling. This constant and unpredictable change in the shape and size of these tissues affects the fit, bite, and position of artificial teeth in relationship to other mouth tissues. This involves not only the gum tissue that artificial teeth rest upon, but also the natural teeth, which assist in supporting removable partials. Because the remodeling process is so slow, many patients are not aware of the changes until a problem arises: pain, chewing difficulties or an alteration in appearance. 

Regular professional examinations can identify potential problems and correct them before a patient experiences a problem. Routine visits to the dentist can also provide patients with the most up-to-date information on tooth replacement devices, new aides in maintaining good oral hygiene, as well as a chance to reinforce the knowledge a patient has on what they should and should not be able to do with artificial teeth.

Dry mouth
It had long been thought that as we grow older the salivary glands, like other body organs, decline in their ability to perform. There has been, however, a number of independent scientific studies that show no alteration in the activity of these glands over time in health non-medicated men and women of any age.

A dry mouth is indicative not of one's age, but of some process that is interfering with the normal function of the gland. The most common cause of dry mouth (or xerostomia) is medications. Medicines used to control urinary incontinence, hypertension, depression, and an assortment of other major medical problems can modify how salivary glands perform. This reduction in performance is likely to cause an increased rate of tooth decay, inflammation of the gum tissues, soreness under removable artificial teeth, and non-specific mouth ulcers. Patients who have a dry mouth are literally robbed of the protective components of saliva. 

Furthermore, changes in the degree of lubrication in the mouth can effect the ease of speaking, efficiency in chewing, swallowing, and taste perception. Other, but less frequently, identified causes of dry mouth include diseases of salivary glands, systemic autoimmune disorders, irradiation to the salivary glands, dehydration, and diabetes. No matter what the cause though, a comprehensive oral hygiene program must be developed for each patient who experiences a dry mouth. The type of program depends on the severity of the dryness, the number and condition of natural teeth present, the type and location of artificial removable teeth, and a patient's physical and mental ability to care for their own oral hygiene. A preventive program often includes more frequent dental examinations and professional tooth cleanings, daily use of prescriptive fluorides, modifications in dietary intake, and the use of artificial lubricating agents.