The Impact of Aging on Oral Health: Tips for Seniors

We often assume that our oral health needs remain fairly consistent throughout our lives, but our needs are frequently changing, and the challenges that we face when we are younger are not the same as those faced in advanced age.

By maintaining regular contact with your dentist throughout your life, you can face these challenges together. Your dentist can monitor your oral health and offer recommendations for lifestyle changes that might help to protect your teeth.

This guide will outline the general advice we offer to patients as they get older and their oral health requires change.

Address missing teeth as soon as possible

As you get older, missing teeth will become more common. Rather than ignoring these gaps in your smile, it’s important to address them as they arise. The balance in older patients will always be to ensure that any restorative treatments offer more benefits than harm.

A common treatment for missing teeth would be a dental bridge, and this can also help to protect surrounding teeth by covering them with dental crowns. Another treatment option would be a partial denture.

It’s important to address gaps in your smile to keep your jaw bone functioning as it should. Without these teeth, your jaw bone can shrink and lose density, and this can change your facial shape.

Change your flossing routine

As you get older, your gums start to recede and this leads to pockets at the gum line. This may allow food and bacteria to build up and lead to gum disease, tooth decay and bad smells. You’ll need to change your flossing routine to ensure you are addressing these larger gaps.

You might include interdental brushes in your daily care routine to help protect your teeth and deliver a deep clean. A water flosser is another highly effective way to dislodge food and bacteria from the gum line and between the teeth.

Learn to spot the signs of gum disease

As you get older, the structures that hold your teeth in place will be more important than ever before. To help protect your teeth and keep them healthy for as long as possible, you need to learn to spot the early signs of gum disease.

The effects of gum disease will often be more severe in the elderly, so quick treatment is essential. If you notice red or inflamed gums, bleeding when you brush your teeth, or more sensitive teeth, this could be a sign you need to visit the dentist. If required, you’ll be referred to a dental hygienist for a deep cleaning.

Treating mouth ulcers

Mouth ulcers can occur when something is irritating the inside of your mouth. This could be a chipped tooth, a broken denture or a fault in a dental restoration. Once the source of the problem has been addressed, the mouth ulcer should go away.

If the mouth ulcer does not go away, it’s essential to book an appointment with your dentist. It could be a sign of oral cancer and should be treated with a sense of urgency. A quick checkup with your dentist should put your mind at ease.

Final thoughts on oral health for seniors

While you might be facing new challenges, there are simply ways you can address these issues and safeguard your oral health for years to come. There is a common misconception that poor oral health in the elderly is inevitable, but this doesn’t have to be the case.

By working closely with your dentist, you can put measures in place that will protect your oral health and keep your teeth healthy and strong for years to come.

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