Baby Boomers Prone to Certain Oral Health Issues

By Susan Braden

Everyone today is prone to oral diseases however, it seems that a certain generation is more prone to these problems than the others. The generation known as the baby boomers is beginning to bombard dental offices with oral issues such as gum disease, acute sensitivity and tooth decay. This generation is obtaining necessary help from dentists at a much higher rate than other generations. Unfortunately, because a majority of these patients are on limited social security, they need cheap dental care, which can be hard to find.

Why the Baby Boomers?

Many have speculated why the baby boomer generation is in such great need of dentistry work, and propose that certain medications this generation was exposed to during childhood, or certain food habits that were developed may be to blame.

What medical professionals can agree on is that these baby boomers are living longer than previous generations. During the years that the baby boomers have been alive, the preventative, low cost methods that have been improved for home use, such as better toothpastes and floss, and advances in dental technology have made their teeth last longer. The pressing issue is often that their gums simply can not keep up.

Cheap Dental Care Solutions

Even though the causes of tooth decay in baby boomers can still be debated, there is no question that baby boomers have many oral problems these days, specifically related to gum disease. However, there are several solutions you can practice at home to help reduce, if not completely heal, your gum disease.

1. Block out about 3-5 minutes at a time, at least 2 or 3 times a day, to brush.
2. Keep multiple toothbrushes, and let one of them dry out while using the second brush.
3. Massage your gums to increase blood flow.
4. Take plenty of vitamin C and calcium to adequately provide nutrition to your gums and jaw bone.

If you are from the baby boomer generation, going to the dentist is necessary every 6-12 months, and in order to get low cost dental care, you may want some sort of a dental plan. Consistent preventative dental care from home will also lower your long-term dental bills substantially.