Aging is an unavoidable fact of life. Did you know that you can help to slow down the changes in your mouth as a result of aging by implementing good oral habits? If you are wanting to keep your own teeth for as long as possible, and avoid being “that person” who loses their denture at the table while laughing at a party, then enforcing some good daily oral hygiene habits will help increase your chance of keeping your own teeth!
Oral hygiene with decreased mobility:
Aging can cause a progressive loss of dexterity and mobility in the arms and hands, which often results in difficulty keeping up a satisfactory standard of oral care. Reduced oral care encourages periodontal disease and decay. It is important to discuss with your dental clinician if you are finding it difficult to grip your toothbrush properly or floss efficiently due to arthritis or other mobility/coordination problems. Your dental practitioner can help to find a solution that is catered to you and your needs to get your oral health routine back on track.
Electric toothbrushes
One suggestion is to consider the use of an electric toothbrush. Studies have proven that an electric toothbrush is more effective at removing plaque. The oscillating/rotating toothbrush head is small enough to fit into hard to reach places within the mouth, and remove plaque effectively with less work.
Cleaning between teeth
Floss alternatives are flossing devices such as the flossettes (or similar), interdental brushes (these come in a range of sizes) or the “Reach access flosser”, which has a long handle to make flossing easier.
Reach Flosser
Loss of teeth due to periodontal disease or decay:
Over time, with increased bone loss and gum recession, teeth can become mobile and sometimes have to be removed or they can even fall out. Tooth loss can put increased chewing stress on the remaining teeth, resulting in increased wear and risk of breaking.
What is periodontal disease? It is a disease that progressively destroys the supporting structures (gums and jaw around the tooth). Periodontal disease is caused by poor oral hygiene, which leads to an increase of plaque and results in an overdrive of the inflammatory response in our body. This then leads to the destruction of the dental tissues.
Additionally loss of these supporting structures can lead to exposed root surfaces. The root surfaces of the tooth is made up of “cementum” which is not as strong as enamel, and is more prone to decay.
Decay, if left untreated, can cause infection and toothache, sometimes requiring tooth removal.
Medications and the dentition:
It is important to tell your dentist about the medications you are taking. Many patients take medications for a range of medical conditions such as increased blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, pain, epilepsy, anxiety or depression. Some of these medications are known to decrease saliva. As a result this can lead to a dry mouth (Xerostomia). Saliva is very important for protecting the teeth against decay and periodontal disease, as it helps to clear the oral cavity of food and debris so its not sitting on the teeth and gums for prolonged periods of time. Saliva also helps to balance the pH level inside the oral cavity, and therefore decrease the acid in our mouths which also contributes to decay. Additionally the high mineral content in our saliva helps to restore any demineralisation that occurs in the teeth resulting from acid damage.
Your dentist can also discuss with you about areas that are at higher risk, and can recommend products that can help to protect these areas.
Ways in which you can protect your oral dentition:
- Visiting your dentist every 6months for an oral examination.
- Brushing twice daily for two minutes with an electric toothbrush, and flossing daily.
- Increased water consumption.
- Decreased snacking- have proper meals instead of grazing all day, which leads to a decreased pH level within the oral cavity/food debris on and between teeth and increased risk of decay.
- Use of moisturising mouth gels/sprays as saliva substitutes if you suffer from dry mouth.
- Switching to a stronger fluoridated toothpaste if you are at a higher risk of decay (your dental practitioner can advise you about this).
- Decreasing acidic drinks such as beer/wine, coffee/tea, juices, carbonated drinks- opt for good old water instead.
- Cleaning any full or partial dentures twice daily, and removing your dentures at night time to allow your soft tissues to heal (more about dentures in another post).
- Discussing with your dentist about the option of crowns/bridges to protect heavily filled teeth or missing teeth. A crown or bridge could add years to even one tooth, and help to avoid dentures/trouble eating or speaking.
It is important to try and maintain good oral health throughout your life time. By doing so it can help you to avoid decay, periodontal disease, toothaches or infections, which can have an impact on your overall systemic health. Regular six-monthly check ups with your dental practitioner are essential. We want to help educate you about how you can keep a happy and healthy smile- call us now to have a chat, we would love to catch up with you!
