All of the advice we have about adult dental care applies to adults 55+ as well: brush your teeth twice a day, floss once a day, get treatment if you have chronic bad breath or swollen, tender gums, and schedule regular dental checkups every six months. Aging adults may have additional concerns as their teeth wear down, and their overall health changes.
Gum disease is linked to other diseases
According to the Canadian Dental Association, 48% of Canadians who haven’t seen a dentist in the past year have gum disease, and gum disease is a major cause of tooth loss in adults.
Research has also shown a link between gum disease and other chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. The good news is that with regular dental visits gum disease can be caught early, treated and controlled, or reversed.
Dry mouth may accelerate tooth decay
Certain medications, or natural aging, can slow down the production of saliva. Saliva is important to our dental health because it washes away food particles and the acids produced by plaque, which can eat into our tooth enamel.
You can relieve dry mouth with a non-prescription oral moisturizer, by drinking more water, or by chewing sugar-free gum and sucking on sugar-free, hard candies that use xylitol as a sweetener (it helps to stimulate saliva).
Crowns, bridges and dentures may become necessary
As teeth wear down, get damaged, or go missing, you may need a dental appliance to strengthen, protect or replace them. Crowns cover and strengthen damaged teeth, as well as improving their appearance. A bridge can replace one or two missing teeth. Dentures replace a full upper or lower set of teeth, or a section of missing teeth. Implants are a surgical solution for replacing missing teeth.
During regular checkups we track the condition of your teeth and if you need a dental appliance, we discuss your options with you. If you already have an appliance, we check it at every visit to make sure that it is clean and intact. Because your mouth is always changing, we also check to see that it still fits well, and make any necessary adjustments, as well as caring for any remaining teeth and your gums.
Time for a checkup? To make an appointment, please call our office at 604-273-1777 or visit our Contact page.