As you get older, maintaining great oral health is incredibly important for a happy and healthy life. A beautiful smile boosts your confidence and contributes to your overall well-being. However, caring for your teeth as a senior does require a few extra steps. But what steps do you need to take to maintain your best dental health as a senior?
At Mills River Family Dental, our team understands how important it is to maintain a great oral health routine throughout your life. While caring for your teeth as a senior is not a vastly difficult task, there are some steps you should add to the routine to properly care for your teeth. If you want to maintain good dental health as a senior, keep reading to see what our team recommends.
The Importance of Senior Dental Care
As you get older, prioritizing your dental care is incredibly important for your overall health and well-being. Your oral health can directly influence your overall health, with potential links to heart disease, diabetes, and much more. By maintaining regular appointments with your dentist, you can trust that you’re doing all you can to stay healthy.
In addition to maintaining regular dental exams, it is important that you stay on top of your at-home oral health routine to prevent gum disease, tooth decay, and other oral health problems. By investing in dental care and a reliable oral health routine, you lay the foundation for a long and happy life.
Common Dental Problems for Seniors
It isn’t uncommon for seniors to experience a variety of dental problems. As you get older, your bone strength, tooth color, and gum health can change. Some health conditions may be a contributing factor to these changes in your oral health. Some of the most common health conditions that can impact your oral health include:
- Undiagnosed and untreated tooth decay
- Chronic diseases, including arthritis, osteoporosis, and heart disease
- Oral cancers
- Gum disease
- Tooth loss
Tips to Maintain Great Dental Health as a Senior
1. Brush and Floss Daily
One of the most important aspects of dental health as a senior is to ensure you maintain a good brushing and flossing routine. You should be brushing your teeth twice a day, using a soft-bristle toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Floss at least once a day to remove any stuck food debris. Maintaining this routine will ensure plaque and tartar don’t sit on the surface of healthy teeth, leading to cavity and gum disease development.
2. Avoid Tobacco Products
Tobacco products should be avoided as best as possible due to their damaging effects on your teeth. This is especially true if you are trying to maintain great dental health as a senior. Not only can tobacco products stain your teeth, but they can also cause tooth decay. In even more severe cases, the use of tobacco products can lead to throat and mouth cancer. To maintain great oral health, it is best to give up these products.
3. Increase Calcium Intake
Many adults don’t have enough calcium in their diet, and the same can be said for seniors. Calcium is incredibly important for the health of your teeth, so incorporating more calcium into your diet is essential if you want to keep up with your dental health as a senior. Increased calcium intake will ensure your teeth are strong enough to withstand everyday use, especially if you have osteoporosis.
4. Rinse Dentures Every Night
If you have dentures or other dental prosthetics, it is important that you care for these as much as you would care for your natural teeth. Your dentures should be removed and cleaned nightly to prevent plaque and tartar build-up. By maintaining great dental health as a senior and treating your dental prosthetic with care, you prevent unexpected damage and avoid the need to purchase replacements.
5. Increase Fluoride Use
Fluoride is an incredibly important dental ingredient used to strengthen and prevent the decay of your teeth. As you get older, it becomes increasingly important that you maintain and, in some cases, increase your use of fluoride to avoid cavities and tooth loss. Increasing your fluoride use can help fight against tooth decay and is an essential part of maintaining great dental health as a senior.
6. Monitor Oral Health
Whether you have recently changed medications or you’ve noticed other changes in your teeth, it is important to monitor your oral health closely. If you notice your teeth becoming more sensitive, changes in breath freshness, or weakening and breaking of your teeth, it might be a good time to reach out to your dentist to schedule a dental cleaning. These signs might signify larger problems, so closely monitoring changes is essential for maintaining great dental health as a senior.
Oral Healthcare for Seniors at Mills River Family Dental
If you are a senior looking for a great team to help you maintain great dental care, our team at Mills River Family Dental is the right team for you. With years of experience helping individuals across the Mills River, NC, area treat and prevent dental health problems, we’re confident that we can do the same for you.
From dental cleanings and teeth whitening to root canals and veneers, our team provides a variety of services to ensure you maintain the greatest dental health as a senior as possible. If you want to schedule a cleaning, don’t hesitate to contact our team today.