Dentures aren’t just for the elderly
While denture usage is often associated with the elderly, the need for them isn’t exclusive to this group. Tooth loss can—and does—occur even in younger adults due to various reasons such as injury, poor dental habits, gum disease, and other medical conditions.
“It’s a misconception that only the elderly need dentures. In fact, the majority of denture wearers are aged 50 and below,” pointed out Polident brand manager Lia Magno at the recent “Oplan Balik-Ngiti,” a community outreach initiative that aims to provide free dentures, denture kits, and denture care education to Filipinos.
According to a study commissioned by the denture care brand, 83 percent of Filipinos who need dentures can’t afford them. And it could be argued that younger individuals with dental issues require more assistance: Students likely can’t afford dentures and prospective employees may have difficulty finding jobs. In fact, 72 percent of employers surveyed admitted that missing teeth can affect their hiring decisions.
As such, the advocacy—spearheaded by Polident in partnership with the Philippine Dental Association (PDA) and the Philippine Association of Registered Dental Technologists—prioritizes younger dental patients with low or no income. Through the project’s efforts, Magno hopes to restore these individuals’ confidence, which can ultimately change their lives.
“We want to help students and those who are working. Some people can’t find jobs because they don’t have dentures, so we hope to give them a better chance at employment by providing them with a complete set of teeth. We want to give them hope in that sense,” Magno said.
Since its inception in 2023, “Oplan Balik-Ngiti” has distributed 2,000 dentures and 130,000 denture kits. This year, the goal is to provide 3,600 more dentures and reach more communities nationwide through the campaign’s health caravans and in-clinic implementations.
Oral health
For people living in poverty, dental care inevitably takes a backseat to food, medicine, and other everyday essentials. But at the very least, “Oplan Balik-Ngiti” hopes to equip people with the right knowledge to take better care of their oral health. At the initiative’s kick-off event at the Market! Market! Activity Center, volunteer dentists from the PDA conducted free oral examinations and consultations, and gave patients personalized advice.
“When evaluating oral health, you also have to consider the person’s medical history—if they have other conditions that can lead to tooth loss, like diabetes and gum disease,” dentist and former Philippine Prosthodontic Society (PPS) president Dr. Aimee Yang-Co said.
Interactive booths demonstrating proper denture care and cleaning techniques were also set up. While denture wearers don’t need to brush their teeth every time they put them on, it’s only prudent, Yang-Co said, for them to clean their mouths and dentures after breakfast, lunch, dinner, or any major meal.
“If you’re using detachable dentures, food can get stuck inside. If you’re outside and can’t brush, at least go to a restroom and rinse your dentures. But if you’re at home, it’s better to brush—and make sure to do it thoroughly, cleaning all the denture’s surfaces. Then, at night, you can soak them in a cleaning solution,” Yang-Co said.
And of course, the standard dental guideline still applies, she added: “Visit your dentist twice a year—regardless of whether you feel any discomfort or not.”
