Senior Dental Care

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Oral health is strongly connected to physical health, but a lot of seniors neglect it as they age.

Seniors are more prone to infections that can start in the gums and teeth. But oral care gets harder as you get older, so you may need to make some modifications.

Clyde Cope had a stroke in the fall and has had to learn to brush with his non-dominant hand.

Dexterity issues in seniors can lead to poor brushing and eventually tooth decay and gum disease. So modifications may be necessary.

” There are tricks to extend the length of the tooth brush. There are sleeves that you can put over to make it bigger and make it easier to grip.”

In the Dr. James Morreale Dental Clinic at St. Peter’s Hospital, Dr. Laszlo Szoke coaches patients to adapt to their aging mouths.

Seniors are prone to dry mouth because of medications, so he recommends alcohol-free products.

Some older patients will lose nerve sensitivity and may not feel tooth pain.
“That sometimes is a problem because cavities can get out of hand because they do not feel the fact that there is a problem.”

That’s why he recommends routine visits to the dentist to catch infection early.

” A lot of people think that once they get dentures, they no longer need to visit the dentist because they don’t have teeth. But that’s not the case.”

Bacteria can build up under them and poor fit can cause painful eating.

Whether your teeth are original or artificial, Szoke cautions bad habits can build up damage over time.

” All damage that happens in your mouth is cumulative.”

That message keeps cope taking care of his teeth.

” When you’re young, you always think, oh, I don’t want to go to the dentist. Now you have to.”