As you get older, you’ll acquire wisdom on several topics to share with your friends and loved ones. However, when it comes to elderly dental care, it’s normal to need some guidance. Whether you’re taking care of natural teeth or custom dentures, use the following guide to optimize your oral health.

Dental Problems Commonly Faced by Seniors

During infancy and senior citizenship, immune systems are at their weakest. Unfortunately, this makes it easier for infections to develop in the mouth and takes longer to get rid of them. This can result in candida overgrowth in the mouth (thrush), or denture-induced stomatitis, a fungal infection on the gums. 

Seniors may also notice they have less saliva, resulting in dry mouth when speaking for a while. A lack of saliva can also allow germs and bacteria to stay in the mouth longer, exacerbating tooth decay and increasing the risk of gum disease.

How to Optimize Your Dental Care Regimen

While these issues can be caused by some aspects that are out of your control—such as diabetes, heart medications, cancer treatment, and the natural changes caused by aging—you can also do your part to prevent them.

One of the best ways to optimize your dental health is to get rid of bacteria, food scraps, and fungus by brushing multiple times a day and flossing. You can also use a mouthwash to kill germs and a custom denture cleaner prescribed by your dentist.

If you wear dentures, it’s important to thoroughly brush and clean these at the end of each day. It will also do your oral health plenty of good to avoid smoking and eating sugary foods and drinks.

If you’re looking for some more advice on how to take care of your mouth, turn to Total Health Dentistry of Cold Spring, KY. Dr. Rachel E. Gold is proud to cater to people of all ages, including seniors, and she’ll help provide personalized tips to keep your smile healthy. Whether you need a routine cleaning or custom dentures, call (859) 441-1230 to make an appointment. You can also visit the website to learn more about their other services.