Dental care continues to be important as you get older. Tooth decay is still a problem with seniors, as well as complications that are prevalent with diseases of the elderly. Continue to schedule regular dental check ups twice a year, and consider switching to a geriatric dentist with accommodations to meet an elderly persons needs.

Symptoms of Disease
Many diseases of the body have symptoms that appear in the oral cavity. Geriatric dentists, through regular dental exams, can find evidence in the teeth and gums of seniors of the following conditions and diseases:
• Heart disease
• Liver Disease
• Eating disorders
• Anemia
• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• Arthritis
• HIV

• Dental Conditions Prevalent in Seniors
Why should you ask, "What is geriatric dental care?" Because when you are a senior, several dental conditions may be more prevalent if you neglect regular dental check ups.

• Gum Disease
Gum disease can occur at any age, but is more prevalent in the elderly. Diabetes may reduce the senior's ability to fight the bacteria that gets trapped around the teeth. The gums may become inflamed and teeth become loose.

• Dentures
Many older people wear dentures. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one quarter of all adults age 60 and older do not have their natural teeth. A geriatric dentist has specialized training to properly fit dentures. Dentures that do not fit correctly can cause pain and lead to loss of appetite in the elderly. Loss of appetite will lead to poor nutrition and illness. Dentures need to be refitted regularly because the jaw reshapes itself continually when the teeth are not there to hold it in place.

• Loose tooth
As the gum disease aggravates it leads to the ailing and moving teeth which leads to improper chewing of food and this in long run leads to change in the dietary habits and bowl diseases.

• Facial changes
With complete loss of teeth the lower part of face shrinks in length which makes wrinkles more prominent and also lead to witch chin. Without complete teeth most of the time pronunciation and voice changes, loss of self confidence happens.