Older Adults: First Dental Visit with Dr. Beth

Much of my approach with older adults is very much the same as with my Younger Adult Patients, so I recommend reading here for additional background. But the biggest difference, and the reason why I break them out into separate groups, is that as my adult patients get older, there is an obvious accumulation of dental and health experiences, both good and bad, environmental influences and lifestyle choices, all of which compound and can have an impact on your smile. Additionally, while something related to your health may have been the same for a very long time and "all of a sudden" it is very different, this can impact the decisions we need to make moving forward to ensure we restore and maintain your best health outcomes.

 

I make sure to schedule my older patients for longer appointments to ensure we have all of the time we need to discuss your history, your goals, and your options to continue forward. It can sometimes be in the patient's best interest to correspond with other healthcare providers they see, whether that be their primary care physician or a cardiologist or anyone else on their care team, because there is the cumulative impact of your oral health (specifically if it has been compromised over your life) that may be effecting your cardiovascular, neurological, or immunological health and vice versa.

 

The plan moving forward and the recommendations needed for my older adult patients can be more complex as there are more variables involved. I'm uncompromising on the quality of care I provide, which is why I spend the time to discuss all of these concerns so we can make a plan together as to how we optimize your ongoing health journey. 

​

Lastly, I will say that most of my "older adult" patients are in fact quite young. My dad, who is a dentist in Dallas and inherited many of his dad's patients, has gone on to care for multiple generations of families for decades, and he boasts that some of his patients are in their "early 100s". I've been fascinated by the Blue Zones research, which is an observational analysis of the regions in the world where people are speculated to live the longest and have the most centenarians (Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California, United States). So anyhoo, if you come to me, you can know that I'm wanting to help you reach your 120+ birthday ;)