Oral Care

• More seniors have their own teeth
• A healthy mouth is important to general health
• Good daily mouth care can prevent oral diseases.
• An unhealthy mouth can be painful. Mouth pain can affect your ability to chew, eat, and to speak.
• An unhealthy mouth can smell bad. You may decrease your time spent with others when you have bad breath.
• An unhealthy mouth may put you at risk for heart disease and aspiration pneumonia.
• When your immune system is low, your mouth may develop fungal infections or other infections in the mouth.

• Cavities
• Older adults get cavities around old fillings
• Older adults get cavities on root surfaces

• Gum disease
  • Your teeth need to be brushed two times every day.
  • Your gums are not healthy if they bleed.

• Oral Cancer
  • Older adults have increased chance of getting oral cancer
  • Cancer in your mouth may be on your tongue, lips, throat, inside your cheeks, roof of your mouth or the floor of your mouth.
• Dry mouth
  • Very common for older adults
  • Many medications make your mouth dry. Over 400 medications may cause dry mouth.
  • Dry mouth increases bacteria growth and it sticks better to the teeth
  • Bacteria is harder to brush off when teeth are dry.
  • Mouth is often dry if you have diabetes, or Parkinson’s disease, or Rheumatoid Arthritis.
• Teeth
  • If you have teeth, they need to be brushed two times per day
  • Use toothpaste with fluoride
  • Use floss if you can. Floss picks can be easier to use.
• Dentures
  • You should take them out of your mouth and brush them two times per day.
  • Dentures should be taken out of your mouth each day for a few hours.
  • Soak dentures in water when you take them out.
  • Make sure your name is on your dentures.
• Mouthwash
  • Use mouthwashes without alcohol
  • Use a mouthwash with fluoride to help make teeth and roots stronger (Recommend CREST ProHealth rinse OR ORAL B fluoride rinse)
  • Biotene mouth rinse may help with your dry mouth http://www.biotene.com/
• Lip Care
  • To avoid lips from cracking, use lip products such as Labello® or Blistex®
  • Vaseline is not effective and should not be used
• Dry Mouth
  • Drink or sip as much water as possible
  • Sucking on small ice chips can be soothing
  • Rinse with Canada Dry® Club Soda
  • Use sugar-free candies or gum
  • Recommend using a humidifier in your room
  • Products can be bought at a local pharmacy that help to moisten your mouth. One of these products is called Biotene Oral Balance® http://www.biotene.com/. Use mouth rinse or mouth spray
• Foods, Drinks, Candies
  • Eating healthy foods will help keep your mouth healthy.
  • If possible, eat as many crunchy foods as you can. Crunchy foods do not stick to the teeth. Soft foods stick to the teeth.
  • Large amounts of fruit juice, ice tea and pop are not good for the teeth.
  • If you have candy, try the sugar-free types. Regular hard candy has lots of sugar.

When to Seek Advice

You should seek advice from a dentist, dental hygienist or denturist

• If your mouth is bleeding (dentist or dental hygienist)
• If you have sores in your mouth (dentist or dental hygienist)
• If you have pain in your mouth (dentist or dental hygienist)
• If you have any swelling in your mouth (dentist or dental hygienist)
• If you feel any lumps in your lips, cheeks, or tongue
• If your dentures are broken (dentist or denturist)
• If your teeth are loose or broken (dentist)