DO AGING IMPACTS ORAL HEALTH?

Did you know, gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss? It’s a misconception that we are going to lose all our teeth as we get older, but that isn’t the case if you take care of your teeth and gums.

As we age, there are certainly reasons as to why we need to be more proactive with our smile. In fact, as we get older we enter a secondary stage in life where we are more prone to cavities. However, if you have good oral health care habits, you can have healthy gums and a beautiful smile for a lifetime.

It is a fact that your mouth goes through changes as you get older. Often times, there are things going on with your teeth and gums that you’re unaware of, and if you’re not getting regular dental checkups you could be missing these problems leading to issues later.

Gum disease is one of these examples. One particular gum disease is so widespread and often goes untreated because it’s painless until advanced stages.

We want to help you stay on top of your oral health care as you get older. Here is how you can maintain that healthy smile for years to come.

• • As usual, it’s important to brush your teeth twice a day. As you get older, it may be harder on your hands so you may consider using an electric toothbrush.

• • Drink lots of water, this will help keep your mouth clean. Plus, dry mouth is one of the leading causes of cavities and a side-effect for many medications we take when we get older.

• • Make sure you’re flossing and cleaning between the teeth every day. If you have a hard time using floss, consider some of the other tools like the easy glide floss picks.

• • Stimulate more saliva production in your mouth by chewing sugar-free gum or lozenges, this will also help keep the mouth lubricated and clean.

• • Avoid beverages that dry out your mouth including coffee, alcohol and soft drinks. Rather, enjoy some Earl Grey tea. It’s got catechin which fights oral infections and has fluoride to protect from cavities.

• • Eat foods that help defend against tooth decay like calcium-rich cheese, and crisp fruits and raw vegetables that help clean away plaque from the teeth.

These tips will help prevent so many problems, but make sure you’re going to your dental exams on a regular basis. The dentist does more during these exams than just the cleaning and polishing. They are looking at your teeth, gums, tongue and throat for possible diseases as well.

If you don’t have dental care, as many older adults don’t realize Medicare doesn’t cover routine dental. Talk to your dentist about possible payment plans or treatment programs they offer. You can even look into other organizations like AARP for supplemental dental plans.

At Bonita Del Rey, we want to make sure you know the facts about creating and maintaining healthy oral health care. If you have any questions or concerns about your teeth or gums we are here to help. Please contact our office with any questions.