Tag Archives: teeth

Teeth have an expiration date

Karen Michel

 Karen Michel

In the next few months, what I’ll be spending on fixing my teeth will eat up much of what I’ll earn this year, including Social Security benefits. I’m not alone in this dental distress. Those of us 65 and older will, for the most part, need more maintenance and replacement versus younger folks in that most visible part of our anatomy.

Nearly half of us don’t have dental insurance, according to a 2020 University of Michigan poll. Yet issues like dry mouth, root decay and gum disease are more common in older adults, researchers at the American Dental Association found. And the use of multiple medications can also lead to or exacerbate these conditions. That can mean older adults with chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease or arthritis may be more prone to gum disease and other oral problems, but less likely to get dental care than their peers without these conditions, according to the CDC.

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Poll results support adding dental coverage to Medicare

Though about 60 million retired and disabled Americans depend upon Medicare for their health care coverage, the federal program has never included routine dental benefits.

A sizeable percentage of likely voters believe that should change, according to the results of a new poll. Continue reading

Congress watch: Why Medicare coverage of unmet needs is so vital

Photo: John Spade via Flickr

Congress returns from its summer recess with a full agenda. It’s probably not high on its to-do list, but many advocates of older Americans hope it will address several pieces of legislation introduced this year that could help many seniors better afford and access dental care, eyeglasses and hearing aids.

These are items that traditional Medicare doesn’t pay for but would make a world of difference in the health and well-being of older adults. Continue reading

Decline in complete tooth loss for older adults spurs talk about access to care

More Americans are keeping their natural teeth throughout their lifetimes, federal research tells us.

Overall, the rate of U.S. adults who have experienced complete tooth loss fell from 9.3% in 2000 to 7% in 2017, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. The trend holds true across all age groups, researchers found. Continue reading

Study of decade of data backs argument for community water fluoridation

Photo: Jonathan Cohen via Flickr

Children living in counties with fluoridated water have significantly less tooth decay than those living in counties that lack water fluoridation programs, according to a newly published large-scale study.

Reduced decay rates were most pronounced in the primary teeth of children living in fluoridated counties. Yet community water fluoridation (CWF) also was credited with conferring a meaningful level of protection to the permanent teeth of children and adolescents. Continue reading