Maintaining one’s oral health represents a life-long commitment that becomes more important as we age. Older folks are more susceptible to common dental problems, which can become harder to maintain over time. Keeping a bright smile and healthy mouth as we grow older is worth the maintenance. Oral health is closely linked to one’s overall health. Maintaining this positive relationship can be crucial to our wellbeing.

The start of a new year is always a good time to consider what actions you can take to improve your health. As we get into gear with 2019, the dental-care experts at southwest Florida’s Island Tower Dentistry suggest that you may want to consider getting a grip on periodontal disease, the most prevalent oral health disorder in America. Not only do about half of all Americans have some form of the disorder, also commonly referred to as “gum disease,” but it is also the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Its prevalence is even more pronounced in older Americans, with about 70 percent of those older than 65 estimated to have the disease.

While most everybody wants to be able to flash a pearly white smile, that perfect white smile is not necessarily natural, as few people are genetically predisposed to having bright white teeth. In fact, most people’s teeth are naturally a couple of shades darker, and, especially as we age, tinged with yellow or grey.