The global current trend of wanting to look attractive at an older age has increased the number of orthodontic patients and has become an important source of income for the clinicians worldwide. However, elderly patients often present long problem lists apart from mere dento-skeletal malocclusion which need to be addressed. Increased dental crowding, periodontal breakdown, multiple tooth loss and excessive wear, decreased vertical, sagittal and tranverse dimensions, soft tissue thinning and lengthening, breathing problems, TMD, retreatments and psychological considerations are the main motives to seek professional care. The orthodontists has to evaluate and carefully weigh how to approach these sensible, attentive and demanding patients who require particular dedication and guidance. Therefore, close collaboration of a highly-skilled team of dental specialists is necessary to formulate a thorough diagnosis, develop and individualized treatment plan and to efficiently carry out the jointly chosen treatment modality.


Learning Objectives
After this lecture, you will be able to understand the main issues related to the treatment of the ageing patient
After this lecture, you will be able to develop individualized and realistic treatment approaches to satisfy the specific demands of the elderly patient
After this lecture, you will be able to understand how to effectively communicate with the involved members of the interdisciplinary team