Edentulousness: Loss of Teeth Within the Elderly Population

Tooth decay and periodontal disease are a leading cause of health concern for the elderly population. Because the elderly population is expected to grow, exponentially, by the year 2020, the need for dental services, in the United States, is expected to profoundly increase as well.

As aspect of health concern among the elderly population, with regard to tooth health, involves a complication of edentulousness. As a complex health condition, edentulousness involves the loss of teeth, for no apparent reason, as aging progresses. While some cases of edentulousness may be attributed to dental disease, in women, the complication can simply have no underlying cause or origin.

While some healthcare professionals believe there is an association between depression and the risk for edentulousness, there is really no correlation found. However, with the loss of teeth at a relatively early stage of aging, women often develop mental health complications in response to it.

When we consider the degree to which an elderly person may experience edentulousness, we often find the complication is associated with the time since the last dental check-up and the how many dental services may have been sought in the five years preceding the onset of edentulousness.

In some countries, the edentulousness process is considered a natural part of aging and, in many cases, healthy teeth are even removed to provide a clear space for prosthesis. Most individuals who experience edentulousness are found to reside independently in urban areas and most have some form of systemic health complication. Interesting enough, most are happy with their appearance but, oddly enough, complain of symptoms related to depression or other mental health disorders.

If you, or someone you love, is experiencing a complication with loss of teeth in the latter stage of life, the term usually applied to this dental phenomenon is known as edentulousness. While most elderly individuals will find the loss of teeth are not a significant impact upon their mental health, they will, oddly enough, report some mental health complications. If this occurs there is reason to be concerned about the loss of teeth upon the bodily self-image.

When considering the management of edentulousness, it is important to find the remedy that works best for you. While others in the elderly population may find the loss of teeth as a rather negligible aspect of aging, for which no treatment is needed, you may feel dentures or other forms of prosthesis are necessary to your well being. The key with managing edentulousness, or other dental complications with age, lies in finding the remedy that works best for your health and your self-image.