Losing teeth can be a big issue as we get older. Statistics show that 14% of Taiwan’s over-65s have no teeth. Many people may be hesitant to visit the dentist, but the health ministry is urging older people not to put up with a mouth full of gaps. They’re dangling subsidies of tens of thousands of dollars to help older people get dentures. We spoke to cookery teacher Wang Pei-jen, who suffered many gaps in her teeth for years. Finally, she decided to get a set of dentures, and she couldn’t be happier with the choice.

Crunches fill the room as Wang Pei-jen snacks on walnuts and peanuts. It’s music to the ears of the septuagenarian cookery teacher. Half a year ago, she was missing several teeth and could barely chew on anything at all.

Wang Pei-jen
Cookery teacher
I wasn’t able to bite for many years. I couldn’t chew, I couldn’t bring my jaws together. Over the long term it hurt my stomach. I wasn’t willing to think about my teeth. It was only when one day my tooth fell out, that I became willing to go see a dentist.

If older people have gaps in their teeth and can’t chew anymore, it can cause nutritional deficits. That can gradually damage organ function.

Wang Pei-jen
Cookery teacher
Aside from how nice it is to eat, having good teeth is good for your health. My stomach is gradually recovering.

Statistics show more than 14% of Taiwan’s over-65s have no teeth – about 450,000 people. Subsidies for dentures are offered in every part of the country, up to a maximum of NT$40,000. But only 66,000 people applied for those subsidies from 2009 to 2020.

Chou Hsing-hua
Taipei Medical University
In rural areas, beside the cost issue, there is also the proximity of the dentist to consider. If the patient doesn’t actively seek to get their missing teeth reconstructed with dentures, they may experience oral degeneration, or a lowering of their oral functions, which is a disability. In recent years, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has proactively conducted promotional campaigns and denture subsidy schemes. There has been a decline in the rate of people having no teeth at all.

But prevention is better than cure. Avoiding sugary food is helpful, and over-65s are urged to get a free fluoride varnish treatment every three months to prevent decay. A regular dental checkup is important too. If you do all that, a set of good teeth is well within reach.

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