Negligence in maintaining dental health can cause teeth to become damaged or fall out as you age, and such conditions affect the ability to chew and digest food.
As quoted in a Channel News Asia broadcast on Thursday, senior consultant at the Department of Dentistry at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital in Singapore Dr. Wong Li Beng said that tooth loss occurs more due to neglect in caring for teeth rather than increasing age.
"We have seen patients with 28 healthy teeth well into their late 80s. Conversely, we have also seen patients in their 20s with less than 20 functioning teeth due to neglect," he said.
However, according to Dr Kong Rui Ling, associate consultant at the Department of Restorative Dentistry, Prosthodontics Unit, National Dental Centre Singapore, even with good dental care, adults can lose five to 10 teeth by the time they reach their late 60s or early 70s.
"And you need to retain at least 20 of your natural teeth to chew effectively," he says.
Dr Kong says tooth loss can occur as early as your late 30s to early 40s, especially if you have neglected dental hygiene, have poor oral hygiene habits, or have a genetic predisposition to conditions such as periodontal disease.
"However, most tooth loss occurs after age 60, when gum disease, tooth decay and other factors become more severe," he said.
