Dental prostheses in old age
The best restoration is the one that can still be cleaned.
In old age the yardsticks change. Not what is technically most elaborate, but what works in daily life – and what still works in five years when the hands become less steady.
What speaks for keeping it simpler
A removable piece of work can also be cleaned by relatives or carers. A fixed bridge on implants cannot – and if it is not cleaned, it is lost.
What still remains important
Chewing is nutrition. Anyone who can no longer bite eats differently – softer, more one-sided. Dental prostheses in old age are therefore not a question of vanity but of health.
Where nursing care is needed
Dentures should be marked with the name – in care homes they otherwise get lost. And: people with statutory insurance in a care grade are entitled to additional dental preventive care; ask about it.