As a senior adult, do I really need to be concerned about cavities any more?
Actually, cavities can be more frequent in older adults for a number of reasons. Life-long exposure to fluoride through community water supplies and toothpaste may not have been a possibility for some of our oldest seniors — it simply wasn’t available when these seniors were growing up. Also, adults are more likely to have decay around older fillings. In addition, cavities in the tooth root are more common, as gum tissue begins to recede in older adults exposing the tooth root surface to decay. Also, dry mouth, resulting from the natural aging process itself, certain medications and diseases, can lead to more tooth decay. Without an adequate amount of saliva, food particles can’t be washed away and the acids produced by plaque can’t be neutralized.
