By Tim Silegy, D.D.S.
Contributing writer
Oral health is something many people don’t pay enough attention to, especially with age. As life continues, older adults can forget to care for, or not think it’s as important, to continue to maintain their oral health and their smile.
With regular care and good oral hygiene, most people can expect to maintain their teeth for a lifetime. Here are a few basic things you can do to ensure your oral health is properly maintained:
- Brush your teeth with fluoride-based toothpaste to help strengthen and rebuild tooth enamel. Just like the minerals in saliva, fluoride helps strengthen enamel and prevent tooth decay.
- Use fluoride-based mouth washes. The fluoride helps replace minerals you may have lost throughout the day.
- Visit your dentist at least twice a year, or more often if needed.
- It’s also important to maintain your bridges, dentures and partials as needed.
As you age, long-existing fillings, crowns and bridges also may fail, resulting in non-restorable and broken teeth. Here are a few tips that you should follow throughout your life to keep your teeth in the best health:
- Avoid drinking sodas and juices. The acid in these liquids attack and weaken tooth enamel.
- Avoid eating foods that are high in refined sugars, such as flavored yogurt or salad dressings. Refined sugars are significant contributors to tooth decay.
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day to prevent plaque build-up.
- Floss your teeth at least once a day to help keep your mouth clean.
Arthritis and movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, can make brushing and flossing much more difficult. These individuals should get assistance from someone who can help them maintain good oral health. Family members or close friends can assist in flossing and brushing teeth if it is too difficult to do so alone.
With age, tooth loss is more common. A decrease in the production of saliva contributes to this by making teeth can be much more susceptible to cavities, especially around the margins of crowns and roots exposed due to bone loss.
Another major cause of tooth loss among the older population is Periodontal disease, which is the loss of bone around the roots of teeth, leading to painful receding gums and loose teeth.
Some individuals may decide that using dentures to replace missing teeth is their best option. There are two types of dentures that people can use; the first type is called complete dentures, which are used when all teeth are missing. The second type is called partial dentures, which are used when only some teeth are missing.
While dentures serve as a removable replacement, precautions should be taken to avoid misuse. Seniors that utilize dentures must know that they need to be maintained as if they were natural teeth. This means brushing with specialized denture cleaners and following recommendations from your dentist. If not used properly, removable dentures can be poor substitutes for teeth and can cause issues with speaking and eating.
There also are other options for tooth loss. Just as your hips, knees and shoulders can be replaced with implants, your tooth roots can be replaced with dental implants. When strategically placed into your jaw, these small titanium anchors can support a single crown or life-like zirconium bridge. These implants have a long-term success rate of 98%, and in most cases offer you an immediate and permanent solution to failing and missing teeth.
Taking care of your oral health plays a big part in your overall health. As you age, it is important to know about common oral health issues and ways to take care of and prevent them. Taking care of your body, including your teeth, helps you continue to live a happy and healthy life.
Regardless of your age, visiting a dentist on a regular basis is of the utmost importance to help maintain a beautiful smile. Find the best provider for you and your individual needs by calling 800-MEMORIAL (636-6742) or by visiting memorialcare.org/find-providers.
Tim Silegy, D.D.S. is certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He is an attending staff member at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center.
