The Importance of Dental Care for the Elderly

As we age, there are some things that we tend to forget about or let fall by the wayside, and dental care is one of them. Dental health is connected to the whole-body health and it’s important for elderly people to keep their dental health a priority.

There are a range of conditions that highlight the importance of taking care of your oral health, such as gum disease, denture problems and dry mouth (to name a few). Here we explain a little more about these conditions and how to prevent them.

Gum diseases can be prevented by regular oral hygiene, including cleaning in between the teeth and flossing. An electric toothbrush may be more useful for an elderly person as they are easier to use than a manual tooth brush.

Dry mouth is a condition due to a lack of saliva in the mouth. It can be caused by medications taken for other medical issues and has more chance of happening as you get older. The cause of dry mouth is usually from tooth and root decay, both of which can be prevented from regular dental care.

If an elderly person has dentures, it’s very important to take care of their dental health. It’s crucial that dentures should not be worn at night and should be soaked in Steradent overnight, otherwise oral fungal infections will occur.

If an elderly person has any questions regarding their dental health, then they may need a family member or friend to help assist them to the dentist to have a check up and ask any questions they may have. There are a range of public and private dentist surgeries such as The Old Church in Halifax that have professionals on hand to assist elderly patients.