Yet another side affect of aging I'm not ready to cope with.

[ToothyThompson]

I've looked after my teeth all my life. They've never been perfect but they have always been presentable and various dentists and hygienist have commented on my good dental hygiene.

I'm in my early 70s and very recently have been aware of the alignment of my teeth changing - not so symmetrical. And now they are starting to look distinctly less white and have a yellow tinge. I am probably very naive but I never expected this to happen to me. I didn't know it was a common part of aging. And i'm finding it quite hard to come to terms with atm.

I'm aware I'm lucky compared to many in that i don't have any chronic illnesses ( at least as far as I know) but there are so many things that have happened to my body as i've got older that I've been totally unprepared for. Perhaps it's just as well I didnt know because some of the changes are quite depressing.

I must say it's one of the reason I find women getting botox at such extremely young ages quite ridiculous. I'm all for looking after your skin but if getting a few natural lines was the worst part of getting older then life as an older woman would be a doddle.

My teeth changed in my 30s. Started moving and deteriorating. They were clean and no plaque, and dentist said it was genetic. Went to specialist and had to spend 10k on having them restored and sealed. Could you invest in some whitening and a retainer?

Thanks @jvc5

It's only within the last year I've noticed the movement and only in the last month or so I've realised the yellowing wasn't in my imagination or only a temporary thing. When I go for my next dentists and hygienist appointment I'm going to talk about possibilities.

I can understand why in your 30s you were prepared to invest that money in your teeth but I don't think I would want at this stage in my life to spend a very large amount.

I know exactly how you feel I’ll be 79 next week and I’m still coming to term with the aging process. My teeth sound like yours. The bottom ones are moving and no longer white. Yes I could possibly get a retainer I’ve tried whitening some yrs ago but only got 2 shade lighter but they’ve gone off white now. Or have new teeth done if you have a spare £30,000 My husband has lovely teeth implants but he went through hell. Like you always been dentist regularly and been complimented by dentist about my very clean looked after teeth. But I don’t want to go through all that discomfort comfort and cost now .I suffer with too many other health issues that having sleepless nights due to a retainer is a no no for me. It’s so hard to accept getting old and loosing your looks. Try and enjoy you life and think to yourself well I’ve had my days and all these beautiful women will all get to loose their looks eventually and bless the years that we’ve had in this world and that we’ve reached a good age as some loose their lives so young. But I understand it’s hard growing old.

@Edamcheese

That is such a helpful post in a practical sense and a supportive sense. Many thanks

I’m in my 60’s and currently undergoing aligner treatment and two implants as my teeth had moved in recent years and looked very crooked.
I smile a lot more now!
Depends if your appearance is important to you: your smile is the first thing that people notice about you.

Thanks for your post.

My appearance is important to me to a certain extent : I take good care of my skin and my teeth. I exercise. I try to dress decently although I admit I'm not over invested in clothes and fashion.

I think the deterioration in the appearance of my teeth has hit me hard because I thought putting a lot of effort into looking after them would ensure they would continue to look ok. I didn't realise it doesn’t necessarily work like that.

I'm not really interested in impressing people with my smile. I'm just not wanting to be embarrassed by presenting a set of yellowing ,misaligned gnashers to the world.

I don't want to spend a lot of money on extensive treatments but I will discuss options with my dentist and see what suggestions they have.

I’m 58 and gradually realising that all the things that happened to my Mum are happening to me. Yellow teeth, immovable fat, aching joints, poor sleep, saggy neck skin, deteriorating vision etc. I eat healthily, I’ve never smoked, I exercise, I don’t drink - so I know that medically I’m pretty healthy. But it’s depressing watching things gradually fall apart!

Everyone’s teeth move as they get older, from middle age they can move quite a lot. Dh had really straight teeth at 22 and now thirty years later they are straightish but more crowded.
Invisalign is pretty fast if you qualify for it. The pp who mentioned sleep being disrupted - I have slept in a retainer for over 15 years, I don’t notice it at all.

You can just start wearing a retainer to stop them moving further, that is an option if you don’t want them shifted back to their prior position but want to avoid more overcrowding at the front.

I’m 42 and enamel going on my front teeth already. I feel very self conscious. I think you have done well to get to your 70s before an issue. However that doesn’t mean you should have to put up with it. My dentist won’t do much on nhs so will have to find the money for private

Mil is 67, mum 78 and both said how depressing it is the change in your teeth, they said teeth whitening toothpastes are absolutely useless and dentist told mum they wouldn’t recommend trying to realign them, that they’ll move again as she gets older. unfortunately it’s just how their teeth have gone. Hugs op

Whitening has made such a big difference to the appearance of my teeth. I had 1 tooth in particular that was quite yellow, it's now white. I had it done with a dentist, the stuff you buy online didn't work for me. My teeth are not perfectly straight but they're okay.

Many thanks for all the replies.

It really helps to know other peoples experiences.

My appearance is imported to me and I’m sure to many others. But it’s an a very expensive ordeal to have your teeth done just one bridge with four teeth on it cost me £2000 and many haven’t even got money to heat our homes and have more things to worry about when your just coming up to 80. But I’m happy for you as it’s nice to see a nice smile.

I won the lottery.

I had peridontal disease in my 50s leading to my teeth becoming loose, and having to have several removed. I believe that there is underlying bone loss which meant individual implants weren’t suitable so I have dentures, although I don’t tend to wear the lower set as I only have teeth missing from the back, whereas I have a front tooth missing on the top. No doubt I will lose some more in years to come. So far all my treatment has been NHS.