Dental and Support Braces for the Elderly
Posted on Jan 9, 2013
Evidence shows that seniors are increasingly taking up the option of dental and support braces in their twilight years. What could lie behind this trend?
Dental braces for the elderly
In bygone days, it was very common for large numbers of people to lose most, if not all, of their teeth by the time they got quite old. For this reason, dentures were typically the order of the day for senior citizens, and orthodontic work being performed on the older generation was virtually unheard of. Nowadays, that has all changed, and large numbers of elderly folks who still have a decent set of teeth are looking to keep them in a healthy state for as long as they possibly can, and even to enhance their appearance if they get the chance!
Teeth do move around somewhat over time, and this phenomenon can be exacerbated when a nearby tooth is extracted. Consequently, older people who have had a few teeth taken out in the past may find the remaining ones shift around a bunch as time goes by. In the past, when this happened, many people thought the only option they had was to grin and bear it, but now awareness of the benefits of orthodontics is definitely on the uptick.
Contrary to what was traditionally believed, there is every reason to make the most of your appearance, even when you are quite advanced in years. You may not win any beauty contests, but is it not a reasonable expectation that you should still have the option of showing a decent row of teeth when you break into a grin? The good news is that, even if your teeth as they stand are rather on the irregular side, a dental brace can definitely turn things around. It is never too late to reap the rewards of orthodontic dentistry.
Even just a few years ago, dental braces were rather unsightly things. While they could work wonders in improving the positioning and orientation of irregular teeth, the braces of yesteryear were not themselves especially pleasing to the eye. Constructed from metal and wire, sometimes augmented with high precision elastic and rubber bands, they did nobody any favors, particularly in view of the fact that they were typically required to be worn for upwards of three years at a stretch. More about dental elastics at .
While there is no dodging the period for wearing a dental brace, it is fair to say that the appliances themselves have improved somewhat in appearance. It is common now to see dental braces that are made from white ceramic material, which blends in with the color of the teeth much better than shiny metallic wire. For traditional braces, grey rubber bands are typically chosen if the wearer wants their braces to blend in with their teeth, but there are a wide variety of colors to choose from and kids often take advantage of having colored braces.
Cost issues with dental braces
To be fair, not all old folks will have the financial resources to pay for dental braces. Those who are living on a very limited day to day budget may just have to give up on the idea of perfecting their smile, as orthodontic work is not cheap. In fact, treatment is around $5,000 on average. However, it should be noted that attractive deals are often available if you shop around. Some people make the mistake of signing contracts to have dental braces fitted without first checking to see if they could have got a much better deal somewhere else. This is definitely something to be avoided, as prices are quite variable across the board for basically the same work, so the deals are out there if you only take the time to look for them.
Postural and tennis elbow braces for the elderly
Posture is something that definitely becomes a problem for many older people. They have a marked tendency to stoop and slouch, having developed bad postural habits over a lifetime. Bad posture not only looks unattractive but it also leads to chronic back and neck pain. Luckily, posture braces can be very helpful in combating these problems. The back brace for posture is worn on the body like a corset and it forces wearers to stop slouching and slumping. The brace will train you to improve your posture in a way that voluntary gymnasium exercises can rarely do. Exercises can always be skipped or dodged, whereas the corset forces you to do things the right way.
The same is true with tennis elbow braces. These arm-worn devices are a superb way of fighting the pain of tennis elbow according to www.tenniselbowbracehelp.com. Once again, they train you to move your arms and wrists in the correct manner and as such they are invaluable for the elderly, or indeed for anyone.