The Concept of Biological Age for Teeth
So, my Whoop now tells me what my biological age is, which is really cool and can be a little scary. But how about your teeth? Do you know how old your teeth actually are?
Generally speaking, everyone’s teeth kind of come in around the same time frame. And when we hit about 18, that’s when we’ve got a full set of 32 if you have wisdom teeth, or more realistically 28, even less if you have braces sometimes. But the difference is from that point on as you age, how you treat your teeth, whether that’s lifestyle, diet, how much you protect your teeth, how well you take care of your teeth, and unfortunately, genetics, how your teeth are built and passed down from your parents, all play a role in the biological aging of your teeth.
How Lifestyle Affects Tooth Age
In our practice, we have a range of patients from 3 months old all the way up to 99, probably a little bit older than that. And it’s interesting because I can really tell the lifestyle of how people have treated their teeth over time and how it differs from how old they actually are. Very similar to how the Whoop is. If you’re in your 30s and you have very flat, worn teeth, that’s a sign you’ve been clenching and grinding. It could also be a sign that your dietary habits have worn away that outer layer of enamel.
The problem with that is that teeth are not designed to be so flat and worn at such a young age. So we have a lot of patients that are in that situation or we see them going down that road, and we have to intervene, whether that’s something as simple as a night guard. A night guard is a small appliance that we put on the upper teeth. The advantage of a night guard is you do all your clenching and grinding against a plastic acrylic surface and not against your natural teeth. We’ve found that it really enhances and lengthens the lifespan of those teeth.
Signs Your Teeth Are Aging Faster Than You
Another sign that your teeth are older than they should be for your actual biological age is gum inflammation and lack of proper home care. A lot of times if you don’t brush and floss and rinse and keep your mouth nice and clean, the teeth are going to start to break down at a much quicker rate than if they were cared for properly.
Some signs of this are going to be bleeding gums, a lot of sensitivity, gum recession. If you’re in your late 20s or early 30s and you feel like you have loose teeth, that’s definitely a sign that you have something going on. It is not the actual biological age of your teeth. Teeth shouldn’t loosen up at any point, especially not by your 20s and 30s. That’s generally a sign of periodontal disease, bone loss, and an unhealthy mouth. That doesn’t mean that there’s no hope, but it does mean that we need to intervene and come up with strategies to help you maintain and strengthen those teeth.
Staining and Diet
What about yellow or brown teeth? Typically, staining in and of itself isn’t a sign of poor health, but it can be a sign that your teeth are not as clean or healthy as they could be. A lot of staining comes from dietary or lifestyle factors, smoking, nicotine, coffee, tobacco. There are a lot of different things that stain the teeth. If you have that kind of lifestyle, it’s even more important to stay on top of your home care to keep your teeth nice and clean.
Take Care of Your Teeth Like the Rest of Your Body
Technology like the Whoop is great because it can tell you so many things. Whether it’s glucose monitors or carbon dioxide monitors, there are amazing technological advances at our disposal. But please don’t forget about your mouth. It’s really important that you take great care of it because if you neglect it, it will age quicker than the rest of your body.
The last thing you want when you get into the prime of your life, your 60s or 70s, is to start worrying about losing, missing, or unhealthy teeth. I’d rather you focus on retirement and family. As a dentist, I want you to have a happy, healthy, fulfilled life, and my goal is to make sure that’s not impacted by an unhealthy mouth.
Take care of your mouth so you can live a long and healthy life with a healthy mouth. I’m Dr. Brett Langston, owner at Dental Implant and Aesthetic Specialist here in Brookhaven, Georgia, and I’m here to help you watch your mouth.
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