Caring for Your Teeth As You Get Older: Essential Steps
If you learn good habits for caring for your teeth when you’re younger, you can carry them through your life. However, even if you take good care of your teeth now, you may have to be extra wary when you’re older. As you age, some changes to your health and your lifestyle can make a difference to the health of your teeth. Being aware of these things can help you combat them when you’re younger and as you age too. You can take action now to protect your oral health. Make sure your teeth stay strong and healthy by considering the following factors.
Prevent Wear and Tear
Wear and tear on your teeth can be one of the causes of problems as you age. Even if you have good oral hygiene, you could find that some of your habits may damage your teeth. For example, you might grind your teeth either during the day or while you sleep. Other things that could damage your teeth include biting down on ice or other hard substances. You can’t repair existing wear and tear without having dental work done. However, you can prevent it by avoiding the activities that could damage your teeth.
Wearing Dentures
Many people find that they have to wear dentures when they are older. However, you certainly don’t have to be an older person to wear dentures. Other people might have them if they have lost teeth due to an accident or illness. Many people worry about dentures looking natural, but you can easily make them blend in. You might have full dentures, but it’s also common to have a partial denture for only a few teeth. If you go to a service like Aesthetic Dentures, the denture specialists, you can get a denture that blends in with your original teeth. Comfort can be another concern, but there are many ways to make dentures more comfortable. You can avoid the need for dentures by caring for your teeth and addressing problems as soon as possible.
Side Effects from Medication
One of the issues many people find when they are older is that they need to take medications. Various medicines for different conditions can have side effects, including causing a dry mouth. You might also get a dry mouth from one of the several illnesses that can affect older people. If your mouth is too dry, it means that saliva isn’t helping to protect your teeth. Anyone who has a dry mouth can ask their dentist about sprays and rinses. These are designed to help treat dry mouth so that you can keep your teeth healthy.
Increased Health Risks
As you get older, there are many health conditions for which you have a higher risk. They can range from dementia to eye conditions. Several types of cancer are more common for older people, including oral cancer and throat cancer. It’s important to watch out for signs of these diseases so that they can be treated as soon as possible. People who smoke are at greater risk of experiencing them, so giving up smoking is a good idea. Smoking can have other negative effects, such as bad breath or discolored teeth. So quitting can only benefit you and your oral health.
Teeth Appearance
It’s very hard to keep your teeth looking the same as you age. Life will take its toll on them, just like it will for other parts of your body. However, you can take steps to keep them looking their best. One of the things that might happen is that your teeth will become discolored. This can happen due to smoking, drinking coffee, red wine or eating foods that could stain your teeth. They may also become discolored because of surface enamel being reduced. You can help to prevent this with general oral hygiene and by making smart food choices.
Difficulty Caring for Your Teeth
When you get older, you can experience problems that make it more difficult to look after your teeth. For example, you might experience difficulty with moving your hands due to arthritis. These problems can also affect some younger people. It’s important to be aware that these things could happen as you get older so you can understand how to work around them. One of the things that are possible is to use adapted toothbrushes and other tools. It’s even easy to adapt things yourself.
Knowing how to care for your teeth as you get older is useful whatever your age. It will also help you care for older relatives you might have now.
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