Most people assume that certain things are inevitable as we age, including common dental problems like gum recession, gum (periodontal) disease, or cavities. However, none of these conditions are as certain as the old adage, “the only guarantees in life are death and taxes,” as proven by a gentleman who came to see us recently.
59 Years Old with No Tooth Decay or Gum Disease
Richard came to see us as a new patient in early May 2016. Before I met him, our hygienist Amber said that he had a perfectly healthy mouth, which naturally was a bit of a surprise. It’s true that you aren’t guaranteed to have dental problems by 59 years old, but most people certainly do. Upon looking in his mouth, however, I realized that Amber was correct! He has never had a cavity, has no gum disease or gingivitis, no gum recession, and only a few crooked teeth. His bite fits reasonably well, he has a small amount of wear showing on the chewing surfaces, and that’s it. WOW! In our office, he set a new record for making it the longest in life with such superb dental health by a long shot. The previous best was a 43 year old man who, as far as he could remember, had only been to see a dentist 1-2 times in his whole life. But 59 years old is a heck of alot longer than 43, that’s for sure.
BTW – this is my ONLY patient of this age who’s never had a cavity or gum disease. To learn more about how quickly cavities can happen, these 2 articles provide good information:
Obviously, I couldn’t tell him that he’d better come back every 6 months to stay healthy! LOL 😀
Since most people don’t make it quite this long, if you’re at all concerned about cavities, gum disease, or improving your smile, please give us a call for a dental check-up and cleaning or a consultation. And if you can beat this guy, we’d love to see you, too!
To make an appointment for a Complimentary Consultation:
Request an Appointment Online or call us at 704-364-7069.
We’ll look forward to meeting you soon!
