Nursing home dental care remains for seniors. During your senior years, you could face several problems concerning your oral health. However, your dental care service provider can protect your dental health from the effects of aging. Whilst dental health can deteriorate with age, regular checkups enable dentists to identify, prevent and resolve problems before they worsen. That is why you need to take your oral health seriously.
Common senior dental problems
Seniors are susceptible to oral problems including dry mouth, darkened teeth, root decay, gum disease, tooth loss, uneven jawbone, sensitive teeth, thrust, denture-induced stomatitis, and so on.
Oral health care tips for seniors
Taking good teeth of your dental health becomes a significant concern for older adults. Just because you are susceptible to various age-related dental health issues doesn’t mean that you have to experience them in the future. Keeping your teeth, mouth and gums in optimal conditions requires some common sense practices. Here are some useful tips for seniors to help them ensure their dental health is in good shape.
Floss and brush daily
It is important to brush your teeth daily with a fluoride toothpaste two times a day or more. You should floss the area in between your teeth to remove food particles. This should be done at least once a day or when necessary. When it comes to dental hygiene for the elderly with no teeth, it is important to use a soft and clean cloth to remove plaque on the gum surfaces. Mobile dental care can help in case of bleeding or swollen gums.
Use an antibacterial mouthwash
You should rinse your mouth with a quality antibacterial mouthwash after flossing or brushing your teeth. This will help kill bacteria.
Increase fluoridation
If you want to keep your teeth strong then you should use fluoride. It also protects the enamel of your teeth. Dentists encourage seniors who are at a high risk of tooth cavities to use fluoride toothpaste and use a fluoride rinse.
Avoid tobacco
Smoking tobacco products such as cigarettes can increase your risk of throat cancer or oral cancer as well as cardiovascular disease and other health problems. Chewing tobacco can also contribute to tooth decay.
Reduce or control sugar intake
You should avoid sugary drinks and products such as sports drinks, soda, candy, preserved dried fruits and so on. You should brush your teeth after taking sugary products to wash out the sugar.
Drink a lot of water
Increasing water intake protects your teeth from tooth decay. Water will rinse away sugar and bacteria and neutralize the acid in your mouth. You should therefore avoid fruit juices, soda, and sports drinks because they have high sugar content. These sugary drinks will increase the level of acid in your mouth and damage the enamel of your teeth. They can also lead to tooth loss.
Professional denture care
If you have dentures then you should seek professional nursing home dental care. Dentures require special care so you should follow the instructions from your dentist and report any problems immediately.
