Your teeth are more than just part of a beautiful smile. Healthy teeth help you speak clearly and allow you to eat a variety of foods, thereby helping you maintain a healthy diet. A large national study found that people older than 65 years who had good dental health tended to be healthier overall.1 So, it is important to take care of your teeth.

The most common reasons for tooth loss may be controlled with good oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist (Box). Often older adults lose teeth to tooth decay and gum disease.3 Although almost everyone has had tooth decay by the age of 65 years, nearly one-half the adults in this age bracket have untreated tooth decay or gum disease serious enough to cause tooth loss.4,5