4 common oral conditions after ago of 55
As you age, a lot of things start to change about your daily life, including your routine in terms of cleaning. You’ll also find that you may be prone to having more problems with your health as you age, so here are some tips and bits of general information to keep in mind for those who are 55 years old or above. This will help guarantee long term oral health, which will also help guarantee a better quality of life.
Firstly, there are two main conditions to be aware of which may create a decrease in your oral health overall in an indirect manner:
- Alzheimer’s disease: As the brain function decreases in these patients, daily patterns will start to get disrupted until the point where the brand is not able to remind the patient to brush their teeth or even take care of their own needs. This is particular to oral care in that a patient might not remember to prioritize oral care, or may not understand its importance, leading to conditions down the road.
- Osteoporosis: This is a common condition that creates a loss of density and strength in the bones. As it sets in, the teeth – which are bone, remember – will weaken as well, and this can make it easier for your teeth to chip, break, or even create serious damage to the jaw, which will lead to a decrease in oral health as well.
These are conditions that can cause poor oral health, but as you age you are always going to be more susceptible for a lot of conditions such as tooth and root decay. This means the regular appointments for check ups will become even more important than when you were younger (though, to be clear, they are always important). Some of the main ones to watch for as you age include:
- Gum disease: This occurs when a large amount of plaque builds up on the teeth that can create a infection i the gum. Gingivitis is the first stage of this condition, and it has symptoms such as sore or swollen gums that bleed. As you age, this can become more and more likely due to a larger and longer buildup of plaque.
- Tooth/Root decay: Despite what you might think, the decay of the root or tooth can still occur even at an older age. As such, the teeth and gums need to be properly and regularly cleaned to ensure that you have a strong defense against the bacteria that can creep into the gums and create decay in the tooth or gum. Regular check ups and cleanings are also critical to prevent anything from setting in.
- Sensitive Teeth: Sensitive teeth can often be a problem due to excessive brushing, a chipped tooth, or worth tooth enamel when you age. TO help make sure that you can alleviate the pain that sensitive teeth causes, consider a sensitivity toothpaste. This will help you keep your quality of life as high as possible.
- Dry mouth: A lot of medications – which are prone to seniors – create a dry mouth as a side effect. If you are suffering from dry mouth, you’ll find that you are more prone to root and root decay. It’s important to make sure that you use the proper products to keep saliva being produced properly. A dentist can make suggestions as well.
Tips and advice
All of this is scary to read, but you must remember that this is simply to inform you of the potential risks associated with patients 55 years or older. You can catch a lot of these potentially serious problems early by getting regular checkups and cleanings. You can also help yourself move forward by using a toothpaste with fluoride in it and brushing twice a day for at least 2 minutes. Flossing is also critical for keeping your gums healthy. If you want the extra support a fluoride rinse is also a great thing to add to your regular routine.
Remember that sugary products can quickly create problems, so try to limit them and brush your teeth after having anything extremely loaded with sugar as a precaution to get it out of your mouth and away from your teeth and gums.
Tobacco use can have a lot of damaging effects on teeth, gums, and general oral health, so it’s very important to make sure that you minimize or completely eliminate it from your regular habits so that you can give yourself the best chance at a healthy mouth.
White it’s a fluoride rinse or an anti-bacterial mouthwash, try to use some sort or product after brushing that will totally flush your mouth out of bacteria and germs so that you can help keep your mouth fresh, clean, and break down damaging plaque.
Denture care
You have to make sure that you take proper care of your dentures, too, as this is linked to better oral health. Make sure you continue to gently brush your gums and tongue with a soft toothbrush. This will help make sure that you stay away from gum disease and other serious issues that we’ve talked about above.
Just because you 55+ years old, you can still have great teeth and overall oral health, you just need to take a few more precautions to make sure that this is still the case. These tips and pieces of information should help you achieve those goals.
