The Art of Aging: Word of Mouth

Next Question with Katie Couric · Oct 21, 2026 · 1h 30m

When we talk about aging well, we focus on our hearts, our brains, and our muscles, but we almost never talk about our mouths. After this conversation, I think that’s a big oversight.

In this episode of The Art of Aging, Dr. William Giannobile, Dean of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, walks me through how our teeth and gums change as we get older, and why what’s happening in your mouth can affect the rest of your body. Roughly half of American adults have some degree of gum disease, and because it’s usually painless until the late stages, he calls it a “silent killer” of teeth.

We also…