March 25, 2008

Dental care tips for older adults

Dental care for older adults is particularly special due to their higher tendency to have yellow teeth, dental cavities, teeth decay, among others.

So here we share some tips for seniors and people taking care of them to take into account to keep their healthy teeth and prevent dental problems:

- Use an electric toothbrush. These devices count with built-in timers that make sure you have spent at least 2 minutes brushing your teeth, and they also provide a through cleaning.

- Visit regularly your dentist to rule out any dental problem, and discuss with your dentist any inconvenience you have with your teeth.

- Get a dental cleaning 3 or 4 times a year.

- From time to time you can chew sugar-free gum (with an ingredient called xylitol) after meals to stimulate saliva and protect your teeth.

Source: RGJ.com

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March 20, 2008

Older Adults Teeth - Taking care of your teeth today will pay-off tomorrow

Everything we do with our bodies now will take its toll over the years, and the best example of this is teeth. The less care we give to our teeth will make them go worse faster.

The two biggest problems of aging teeth are by far a bad oral hygiene and the neglect on doing it. The result: senior people have higher tendency to suffer from tooth decay and recurrent decay under old dental restorations. Moreover, many senior adults do not count with dental insurance.

Another aging dental problem is related to diabetes. Around 10 million Americans over 60 years old have it. Diabetics are highly prone to gum inflammation which can spread to the ligaments and bones that support the teeth.

In addition, diabetic patients may have some healing problems after a dental procedure; and dry mouth that leads to the formation of bacteria that cause cavities, plaque and gum infections, is more severe in the elderly due to pharmaceutical side effects.

As you can see, paying more attention and care to your teeth in your younger years can save you many problems and money in the years to come.

Source: RGJ.com

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