New Study Shows You Are Never Too Old to Get Cavities

Many dentist offices emphasize the importance of bringing kids to regular checkups at a family dentistry practice — so much so that you would assume the importance of visiting your local dentist office dwindles as you get older.

However, the exact opposite is true, according to a February 8 USA Today article. Among senior citizens, poor dental health is a problem that runs rampant, even as dental technologies improve to make the trip to a dental checkup more comfortable.

The Centers for Disease Control and prevention reported in 2008 that an astonishing 20% of people aged 65 years or older had untreated cavities. Cavities result in pain, tooth decay and eventual tooth loss — which may explain why 15% of people aged 65 to 74 and 22% of people over 75 have lost all their teeth.

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