How to Keep Your Teeth Healthy in Your Golden Years

Aging is not always graceful! Especially when your oral health is in question. As you age, taking proper oral care and practicing dental hygiene at home is essential. Good oral health habits can keep your smile bright and intact, even for a lifetime. However, as you age, it’s important to make some changes and adjustments to your dental care routine to make it effective. Here are some tips that you can opt for to maintain oral hygiene and keep your teeth strong in your golden years. 

• Go gentle on brushing: With age, due to a lack of manual dexterity, you may feel difficulty in brushing and flossing teeth properly. A soft-bristled brush is what you need as you get older. Investing in an electric toothbrush can help. An electric toothbrush will ensure a thorough and effective cleaning without extra pressure.
  Also, with aging, certain health conditions might limit shoulder movement, making brushing difficult. Switching to a brush with a long handle can help those with limited mobility.

• Don’t let your mouth get dry: As you age, you are more likely to have a dry mouth. If you are taking certain medications that cause dry mouth, let your dentist know about it. A dry mouth can make eating and swallowing difficult resulting in irritation of the oral tissues. Lack of salivary flow may also increase the risk of gum tissue irritation and new cavities.
  Chewing on sugarless gums or candies stimulates the salivary flow and moistens the dry mouth. Moreover, limiting the intake of alcohol, caffeinated beverages, and tobacco products may counteract dry mouth (xerostomia).

• Regular dental visit is a must: To keep your aging mouth away from all the potential dental problems, a regular dental visit is a must. Your dentist will identify early signs of tooth decay and gum disease and will be able to provide necessary treatments as soon as possible. Visiting your dentist every six months is compulsory for elderly people. This will catch all the minor oral health issues and treat it accordingly before this gets worsen.  

• Do not skip flossing: Why is flossing so important for older adults? Like adult patients, flossing is equally important for older adults for removing the plaque and food particles that got stuck between the teeth. Thus it cleans along the gum line where your toothbrush can’t reach. Thus it reduces the risk of periodontitis and other gum disease. Hence keeps your teeth strong in the long run. 

• Include fluoride in your oral care: Research shows that older adults are at higher risk of developing cavities. They are advised to use fluoride mouth rinse or toothpaste with added fluoride that will aid in remineralization and help to prevent tooth decay at older age. 

• Take care of your dentures: If you are wearing dentures, taking proper care of your dentures is necessary. Keeping your dentures out of the mouth every day, at least for 4 hours is advisable. Putting your dentures overnight in water or in denture cleansing liquid can increse the longivity of your dentures. Brush all the surfaces of your denture carefully, as bacteria can collect under the clasps or denture and invite poor oral health conditions. 

• Protect yourself from oral cancer: At or after the age of 40, our risk of oral cancer increases. Regular check-up and a thorough cancer screening will help to identify potential signs and symptoms at an early stage. Stop using tobacco products and taking alcoholic beverages. Using an alcohol-free mouthwash on a regular basis is advisable. If you notice any painless swelling or ulcer that is not healing even after two weeks, immediate reporting to your dentist is necessary. 

With aging, it becomes more important to take proper care of your oral health as this will help in eating your favorite meal. Taking a well-balanced meal is necessary for your overall health. Cutting on carbs, snacks and beverages will keep your teeth healthy for the long run. 

Deligient personal care including twice daily brushing and flossing your teeth is necessary if you want to keep your teeth healthy even in golden years. Follow these above-mentioned tips regarding dental care  in Dundas along with regular oral care routine. 

To clear any concerns regarding dental health with aging, schedule an appointment with our dentist in Dundas.