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What Cosmetic
dentistry can do for you..
Part 2 of Jeanne Davies’s interview with dental
specialist Robert Wallace
JD:.
There was a program on TV last week featuring people
who had face lifts, one a fifty-four year old woman. She was so pleased with her new look. But when she opened her mouth you could see these worn out, stained, broken teeth. They ruined the entire youthful effect she was
looking for.
Could she have thought age was a barrier to having nice
looking teeth?
RW: Age
is no barrier to having good looking teeth. All
treatments work irrespective of age. Bleaching,
for example. The teeth do darken with age. In fact
it is probably more useful for older people than younger people. It will brighten up the teeth.
JD:. Many older people would like to have nice looking
teeth but they are embarrassed. They think the
dentist will say why do you want them. You’re too
old. What do you do?
RW: Go to another dentist. Everyone is entitled to have nice looking teeth no
matter what age they are.
JD:
What about
implants?
RW: As long as the root of the tooth is in the
mouth, you can build up anything you like
–such as a crown. But if you have lost the
root of the tooth, perhaps through gum disease, or
it is broken or cracked, then you do an implant. You
put the implant in and then a crown on top of it.
JD:: You mean it
isn’t a whole tooth?
RW: No.
The implant is a replacement for the root of the tooth. It is a little titanium cylinder
which is screwed into the bone You put a small connector on top of it and on top
of that the crown.
JD :
Presumably you need a good bone for this.
Some people with gum disease have also lost the bone.
 RW: You can still have an implant. The dentist
can graft some bone, taken from elsewhere in the mouth or the hip, and build up the bone
height. But the decision will depend on how many
teeth the person has and whether the tooth is visible.
JD:
Do many
people do that ?
RW: Yes. Increasingly, people do not want a denture and just by
having an implant or a graft and an implant
they can avoid a denture altogether.You tend to do more implants in older
people because they tend to have lost more teeth.
JD:
Does orthodontic treatment – straightening out crooked teeth, work on older people?
RW: You can still have orthodontic treatment in
your sixties and seventies if you decide you want straighter teeth. Nowadays adult orthodontics is very popular.
Costs of cosmetic dentistry
Below is a rough guide to charges for
cosmetic procedures. Prices vary considerably, from cheaper to more expensive, depending on location and
practitioner.
Implants: £2,000
- £2,500
Crowns: £750
Veneers: £500
Bridges: £2,100 (three-unit bridge)
Whitening for 12-plus teeth: £250
HELPLINE: For information on practitioners and prices for
implants call the Dental Implant Alliance freephone:
0808 1270 100
How can I keep my
own teeth longer?
“People now keep their teeth
longer. In previous generations, most people
could expect to have dentures by the time they were sixty. Nowadays
that is not true. 90% of people should keep
all of their teeth all of their life. But they do have to look after them. It’s not going to happen without some
help.
Imagine that you have been chewing on
the same teeth for fifty, sixty, seventy years. You
must expect some wear and tear. As people get
older they have different problems. Decay is not such a big problem, although it can be
around the necks of the teeth where they have had some gum recession. If they have been looking after them properly and
cleaning it will not happen.
Don’t say just because I am
getting on I don’t need to see a dentist anymore. Older
people do need regular checkups. They are probably going to need some crowns. They may have lost some teeth and need a bridge or
two, but it’s worth preserving the teeth. The
days of saying ‘let’s just get rid of them and get dentures’ are long
gone.”
Top tooth care tips
You need to see a dentist at least once a year,
though many dentists want to see their patients more often, depending on the condition of
their gums and teeth. Dentists also look for disease, or changes in the mouth that the
patient is not necessarily aware of. So
regular checkups are very important.
The hygienist. For
most people, the average is twice a year. For some people four times a year or even more,
and for some people once a year. It depends.
People who are good at looking after their teeth and have healthy gums, need to see a
hygienist less often. But many people build up stain and tartar very quickly so they need
to see the hygienist more regularly.
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Anyone who has looked after her (or his) appearance over the years has the
edge in later life compared to ravers who burned all their candles at both ends. But skin,
hair, eyes, lips, silhouette still show the years after fifty. Extra skin dryness, puffy
eye areas, sagging around the chin, wrinkles – they all can benefit from special
treatments. 
