Age-related concerns over dental care
By talking to over-65s, the Oral Health Foundation, has revealed some of the most common reasons elderly people stop visiting their dentists.
In general, from first hand accounts, it seems that the most widespread barriers for over-65s were anxiety, poor general health, cost and the physical demands of actually travelling to visit the dentist.
Indeed, the issue of getting to a dentist was one of the major concerns for people over 65. When it gets harder to move and travel distances, a trip to the dentist becomes far more complicated, so many people feel like they cannot manage on their own.
Many of those who were asked also admitted that forgetfulness impacted the way they cared for their own teeth, with many simply failing to remember to clean their teeth on a regular basis.
Some of those questioned even said they did not see any benefits of maintaining oral health in their old age, indicating that ‘appearance doesn’t matter.’ But it was mentioned by a few people that they did receive help from carers but also said that they often lacked time to do so.
Cost was also a major barrier identified by many.
If any of these concerns are affecting you, be sure to contact your dentists today, as they will almost certainly be able to help and make arrangements to ensure you receive the dental care you need.
