Dentistry for Seniors

The Importance of Providing Tailored Dental Care for Seniors

Good dental health is especially important as we get older. Below are some of the reasons why good oral care is so important for seniors.

• Protecting overall health, as dental and general health are closely connected.
• Good oral care is particularly important for anyone with existing health conditions like diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
• Maintaining a healthy mouth can help reduce medical bills.
• Strong, healthy teeth make it easier to eat comfortably. This, in turn, can make it easier to maintain a healthy diet, providing the nutrition needed to fight infection and disease more effectively.
• A complete set of teeth is essential for speaking clearly, socializing with others, and maintaining a good quality of life.
• A good preventive dental care plan helps to reduce the risk of infection and disease and tooth loss, which in turn can lead to lower dental bills over time.

Our Custom Dental Plans

Everyone visiting our practice receives a custom preventive dental care plan. This outlines how frequently we recommend dental checkups and hygiene appointments and is designed to help protect and preserve oral health more effectively.

The Importance of Regular Dental Exams and Hygiene Appointments

These regular dental checkups are vital because they allow us to detect any changes in your oral health quickly and provide appropriate treatment much earlier.

Everyone needs regular dental checkups, even if they have no natural teeth remaining. This is because oral cancer screenings are important and allow us to examine your oral tissues carefully.

Common Oral Health Concerns of Seniors

Oral disease can affect anyone at any age, but older adults are at increased risk of several common dental diseases.

Oral Hygiene Concerns

Any preventive dental care plan includes customized advice for maintaining good oral hygiene. Sometimes this can be challenging as you get older, as manipulating dental floss or a manual toothbrush becomes trickier.

How We Can Help

We can review your current oral hygiene routine and make useful suggestions to improve it, using the most suitable tools, toothpaste, and mouthwash, if required. Our dental team can demonstrate easy and effective ways to brush and floss teeth.

There is a wide range of dental tools available, including modern electric toothbrushes and other devices like WaterPiks, which are easy to hold and manipulate. These are designed to be easy to use and very effective for people of any age.

Gum Disease

Gum disease is extremely common and is a major cause of tooth loss. It is an infection caused by bacteria found in dental plaque; without treatment, these bacteria can enter the bloodstream and affect general health.

How We Can Help

Your regular dental exams allow us to closely monitor your gums. We take detailed measurements at every visit, which can be compared from one checkup to the next to detect any small changes quickly.

Early detection is important because we are more likely to catch gum disease when it is reversible, before it causes long-term damage to your teeth and gums and impacts your overall health.

Cavities

Anyone can develop tooth decay, but when you are older, receding gums are more likely. Exposed tooth roots are not covered with protective tooth enamel and are more prone to developing cavities.

How We Can Help

We check every tooth for signs of decay or soft spots during your dental exams to detect cavities earlier. Sometimes we can re-harden a tooth with professional fluoride treatments, or we can place a small filling to protect it.

Sensitive Teeth

Teeth are covered with protective enamel that gradually becomes thinner with age, allowing hot and cold sensations to penetrate teeth more easily and causing tooth sensitivity.

How We Can Help

We can discuss various ways to manage tooth sensitivity, such as using a toothpaste for sensitive teeth or providing fluoride applications to reduce unpleasant sensations. We can also use dental bonding, applying tooth colored composite resin to cover areas of tooth enamel erosion.

Dry Mouth

Dry mouth or xerostomia is a common side effect of many prescription and over-the-counter medications. It results in reduced saliva flow, making it harder to chew food comfortably and increasing the risk of oral disease. This is because the drier conditions allow harmful bacteria to thrive.

How We Can Help

We have many suggestions for managing dry mouth and can discuss which options may suit you best. Possible solutions include saliva substitutes, mouthwash for dry mouth, or simply using sugar-free gum or sugar-free candies to help stimulate saliva flow.

Professional dental cleanings help reduce the risk of oral disease by removing plaque and tartar buildup, and we may recommend more frequent appointments to manage dry mouth effectively.

Uncomfortable Dentures

Lots of people have a partial or full denture, and although these remain a popular solution for tooth loss, they can cause problems over time, particularly when they become ill-fitting.

How We Can Help

We can assess the condition of your denture and suggest a suitable solution, which may include relining or remaking it to fit more securely and comfortably. Alternatively, we can look at other options to replace missing teeth.

If you have natural teeth that are strong enough, you may be a candidate for a tooth-supported dental bridge that is permanently fixed in place. Another option is dental implants, a versatile solution that can provide fixed teeth as a dental bridge or removable teeth as an implant-supported denture.

Concerns about the Appearance of Teeth

Teeth have to work hard in a hostile environment, and over time they can become stained, chipped, or discolored, or may be missing entirely.

How We Can Help

Cosmetic dentistry can rejuvenate your appearance, giving you the smile of your dreams, which looks healthy and natural. Additionally, replacing or restoring teeth can help protect your oral and overall health.

Many older adults receive smile makeovers or even full-mouth reconstruction, helping them make the most of their retirement.

Supporting Seniors with Complex Medical Histories

We know some of our older patients have complex medical histories, and we want to reassure you that we only provide treatments that are safe and appropriate. When needed, we liaise closely with other healthcare providers, particularly when managing dental care with medications.

Why Choose Our Practice

If you’ve been searching for the best dentist for seniors, you may wonder why you should choose Dental Pearl. When you visit our dental office, you can expect to be treated with respect and compassion by experienced clinicians. We provide gentle, patient-centered care and work hard to build long-term relationships based on trust.

If you need treatment, you can expect to receive a detailed plan with complete transparency about all costs and the time involved. Our dental clinic is equipped with the latest technologies, helping to provide fast, accurate diagnoses and safer, smoother treatments.

Above all, we are here to listen and address any concerns or questions, helping you understand and maintain optimal oral health.