A small study was recently conducted in Australia with the aim of understanding the types of oral health problems faced by older people in keeping their own teeth strong and healthy. As with the US, the population in Australia is aging. Often older people’s teeth will not be in very good condition and may require complicated dental work to help resolve oral health problems. One of the things revealed by the study was that even though many dental professionals wanted to help older patients regain good dental health, a lot of dentists were working alone rather than as part of a team, making it more difficult to provide complex dental care for seniors.
Customized Dental Care at Cosmetic Dentistry Center
Here at the Cosmetic Dentistry Center, our team has considerable experience in helping older people gain and maintain good dental health. The oral health problems faced as we age can change considerably but we have all the knowledge required to assess and understand these changes, enabling us to provide exactly the right kind of customized dental care.
Oral Health Problems Faced by Seniors
There are a number of oral health problems that can develop and one in particular is called dry mouth which is due to reduced production of saliva. Dry mouth can be caused by medical conditions such as Sjögren’s syndrome or it can develop as a side effect of medication. Another problem is gum recession or gingival recession which can expose the tooth roots, increasing the risk of tooth decay. This can be exacerbated in patients who have gum disease and can lead to tooth loss. Poorly fitting bridges and dentures and diseases such as anemia, cancer or diabetes are all increasingly common with age. Sometimes medical conditions such as arthritis can make it increasingly difficult to brush and floss thoroughly.
How We Can Help
If any of these oral health problems affect you, then these are all things that we can help with. There are a number of options for treating dry mouth as we can provide prescriptions for saliva substitutes or you can purchase these over-the-counter. We find that a lot of patients gain some relief through making sure they remain well hydrated and by sucking on sugar-free candy or sugar-free gum, especially those containing xylitol which helps provide a little bit of extra protection for dental health. We can also treat any signs of gum disease and there are solutions that can be used to help repair lost gum tissue or to mend exposed tooth roots that have become decayed.
Our Dental Professionals Can Work out a Solution for You
When you come to visit our dentists at the Cosmetic Dentistry Center then we can provide you with a thorough assessment of your current dental health which will include a fully customized treatment plan. You will find the highly experienced dental professionals on our team can work with you to find solutions for a loss of manual dexterity, and we can generally help ensure that your dental health is the very best possible. If required, we can always refer you to other dental specialists who are known and trusted by our practice for additional dental care.
Getting older is inevitable but it doesn’t have to be accompanied by poor dental health.
Leave a reply →
