Top Tips: Strong Smiles for Seniors

 

As people get older (the 50's & 60's and beyond), cancer treatments, artificial joints, diabetes, or a lifetime of tobacco or alcohol use can all affect oral health. Good mouth-care habits, proper nutrition, fluoride in varying forms, regular professional dental care can all save you unnecessary pain, inconvenience, permanent altered teeth, and save you thousands of dollars. You can have an ageless, strong and healthy smile for a lifetime.

 

  1. Brush: Using a manual, electric, or sonic toothbrush at least twice daily is very important. Always brush before sleeping because bacteria grows very rapidly in our mouths and as we age, dry mouth can become a problem which makes the bacteria even more damaging.
  2. Floss: Daily flossing is very important especially as we get older. Healthy gums do NOT bleed. Problems develop between teeth and periodontal disease will begin in these areas first. Periodontal disease does run in families. If your parents had gum disease you are more at risk. Hard to floss? Try Reach Access flosser (on an easy-to-handle toothbrush-style handle). Won't floss? Try Stimudents, Flossers, even toothpicks to get in-between teeth. Get a Hydroflosser or Waterpik to flush out debris and bacteria with water.
  3. Xylitol: Chew Xylitol gum, use Xylitol toothpaste/ mouth rinse/mints or as a sweetener. We even have a nasal spray that contains Xylitol! Bad bacteria grows in our nasal passages and our oral cavities that contributes to periodontal disease and cavities. Xylitol is very effective when used with fluoride. Using Xylitol products 5 times per day has been shown in studies to significantly reduce bacterial colonization of the mouth.
  4. Fluoride: Makes enamel/teeth more resistant to acid attack. Use toothpaste with fluoride for extra protection, and use a mouth rinse with fluoride like ACT. In combination with Xylitol products the bacteria that causes cavities is decreased tenfold. We also recommend prescription strength fluoride toothpaste used as a fluoride treatment at home to further reduce the decay rate. Fluoride varnish should be applied at our office if you have recession, sensitivity, and recurrent decay.
  5. Drink water: Dry mouth can occur from certain medications and health conditions. Drinking water instead of sugary drinks is very important. Sugar substitutes like STEVIA are great in coffee and tea.
  6. Simple carbohydrates=Sugar! A lot of "natural" things contain sugar, too. Glucose, fructose, corn syrup, cane sugar, honey, and maple sugar are all types of sugars. The more often you eat and drink, the longer the teeth are sitting in bacterial acid and getting dissolved. Coke, coffee with sugar, and yes beer; they're all carbs!! Watch out! Many common medicines contain sugar: cough drops, cough medicines, vitamins, and TUMS, for example. Remember to brush with fluoride or Xylitol toothpaste after using. Look for a sugar free version. Avoid frequent Altoids and other sugary mints. If you have bad breath, see your dentist now! Sweets in moderation are okay but can cause other problems. New, rampant decay especially at the gumline if you have recession and sucking on sugar laden candies because you have dry mouth is just one example.
  7. Do not use tobacco in any form. Dip/chewing tobacco rots your teeth(it has sugar)!! Cigarettes, cigars, etc cause dry mouth and make the plaque sticky which will adhere to the teeth and more plaque means more damage!
  8. Night guard/Denture/Partial: Make sure that you clean your night guard in a denture cleaner weekly. Brush is clean with your toothbrush and toothpaste every morning when you remove it. These items harbor bacteria and you need to keep it clean.
  9. Lifestyle changes:

    a. Retirement arrives and you spend six months in Ma and six months in a warmer climate. Make sure that you have a dentist in each area that you can call in an emergency and have regular preventative dental care.

    b. Hormonal changes begin to change your body, mood, and oral cavity in ways you don't expect.

    c. Medications can influence salivary flow, have side effects that make you eat more often; therefore make you more susceptible to decay AGAIN!

    d. HPV can cause oral cancer, so be aware of any lumps and bumps that develop and don't go away in 10-14 days.

    e. GERD can cause erosion of the enamel and needs immediate attention! Don't wait until it hurts or your teeth look bad.

    f. Hospitalization happens unexpectedly and you need to maintain your oral health. Make sure that you have a fluoride toothpaste, Xylitol gum or mints, maintenance rinses keep the ph balanced in your mouth.

    g. Dentures need attention for proper fit, keeping them clean and free of bacteria and necessary repairs. Use denture tablets to clean your dentures daily or weekly. Studies show that using abrasives on your dentures attract more bacteria to adhere to the actual dentures and cause discoloration and bad breath. If your denture doesn't fit properly see a dentist as soon as possible because you can get sores, infections, and this will decrease your ability to eat foods that you enjoy. ***WARNING*** Zinc poisoning has been identified in denture adhesives and can cause permanent physical damage to you!!! Symptoms may include numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms and legs, difficulties with walking and balance and blood problems such as anemia.

    h. Nursing home dental care is a challenge for patients and their families. If dexterity is a problem then using an electric toothbrush is often the best option. Placing a bicycle handle on a manual toothbrush can be much easier for the patient to handle and even brush more efficiently. Try and find out if there is a dentist or hygienist comes to the nursing home periodically to check on patients.

  10. Other conditions: Clenching or grinding, headaches, heavy snoring, pain when biting, bleeding gums, sensitivity to temperature changes are all reasons that you should make an appointment at your dentist office so that we can diagnose why you are having any of these symptoms.