Older jellies: have you experienced this dental change?
Asked by
Jeruba (
56235
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19 hours ago
New York Times, 4 Weird Signs You’re Getting Older, by Jancee Dunn
Excerpt:
“My lower teeth have grown a lot more crooked over the last few years. This is a surprise. They were once perfectly straight, thanks to braces that stayed on throughout three ungainly middle school years.
I asked a few friends in midlife whether they had noticed the same thing, and some reported that they, too, had newly crooked lower teeth.
So I called Dr. Leila Jahangiri, chair of prosthodontics at New York University College of Dentistry, and asked her if this experience was common. It’s not unusual for teeth to “shift and drift” as you age, she said, and it tends to occur more in the bottom teeth than the top.
Not everyone’s teeth move as they age, she added, but if they do, common reasons include the loss of a tooth; gum disease, which can make teeth unstable; and wear on the teeth from things like grinding.”
I’ve noticed this myself, very recently. Anyone else? Comments?
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8 Answers
I’ve not noticed this myself but many years ago my dentist said my teeth had unusually long roots. Maybe that has helped lock them in position.
It’s common, and that is why I couldn’t get dentists to take me seriously when I told them my teeth shifted from a bad bond. It’s a long story, but they would not listen, because they just kept telling me it was because I was getting older. It is one of my top three regrets that I did not run to an orthodontist when I knew what was happening and get a retainer until I could get the bond fixed.
My teeth haven’t started getting crooked, but the old saying “getting long in the tooth” fits me perfectly. My gums have started receding making my teeth look longer. Old age sucks, but beats the alternative.
Five or six years ago, I had to have one of my lower teeth around the side of my mouth pulled because of a cavity. Getting a root canal would have been way too expensive and my insurance at the time barely covered it. Anyway, my teeth have always been very tight in my mouth but now they have shifted so that there’s a lot less of a gap from the pulled tooth than there used to be. So did they shift because they had been to take my mouth to begin with, or did they shift because of what you’re saying about getting older? I don’t know but you bring up a very interesting question. Next time I see my dentist in about 2 months, I’ll have to ask him.
Not me but met a woman in her sixties that had braces and admitted this was the third time she had them. In her early teens again in her forties and now..
Yes. I’m currently age 68, and I noticed this change a few years ago. It’s just the bottom four incisors, now slightly crooked.
I had braces so i noticed shifts over the years. It doesnt bother me much, I’m just hoping to keep my natural teeth until death, pretty or not.
Age 70 here. My teeth haven’t shifted, but a few months ago I noticed my gums have started to recede. I was surprised. I will watch for shifty teeth!
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