Getting older impacts your whole life. Your body changes, including your mouth. Dental care is important for maintaining overall well being. Many seniors struggle with tooth loss and other dental health issues, like dry mouth or gum disease. Keep your teeth and gums healthy by remembering these helpful hints. Those individuals caring for aging parents or relatives can also benefit from the following tips:
• Make home care a priority. If you have trouble remembering to brush and floss, try posting little reminders in your bathroom near the sink. Caregivers can encourage this process as well.
• Choose a soft toothbrush. If the bristles are too hard, you can irritate gums and damage tissue.
• When you have dentures, clean them daily and use the special cleaners designed for this purpose, not just toothpaste.
• See the dentist twice a year. These appointments allow the doctor to check your teeth and gums for any problems. Depending on the state of your oral health, the dentist may suggest more frequent visits.
• Tell the dentist about any medications you are taking and any side effects that could affect your dental health. For example, some people experience dry mouth with certain medicines.
• Contact your dentist right away if you notice any unusual symptoms in your mouth. Letting issues like gum disease or tooth decay go can cause bigger problems in the long run.
• Maintain a healthy diet. What you eat influences your whole body health, including your teeth and gums.
One thing that can make an entire family smile is good oral health. When everyone has healthy teeth and gums, there is more reason to show off those great smiles. Oral health issues can even run in families, so taking care of a problem in one person may help other family members as well by alerting them to the condition. Family dentists can benefit everyone in your household. This type of dentist treats all family members, no matter what their age is. Young children, teens, adults, and seniors are all treated in one dental practice. Family dentistry focuses on taking care of the oral health needs for everyone in the family, and offers a variety of benefits by doing so.
Establishing a healthcare relationship with a family dentist means that everyone goes to the same office for appointments. The dentist and staff get to know each person, and can provide a level of comfort knowing that everyone is receiving the same standard of care. Family dentists understand your needs and those of other family members too.
Family dentists are trained and experienced in providing care for all kinds of issues. This always includes routine dental care like cleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants, and fillings. Some family dentists also perform procedures like implants, veneers, bonding, contouring, root canal treatments, and even orthodontics. You should choose a family dentist who offers services that meet the needs of every family member.
Another thing that family dentists are skilled in is teaching patients the best ways to care for their own oral health. Children may need to be taught how to properly brush and floss, teenagers might need reminders about consistent care or maintenance with braces, and adults often require special attention for good gum health. Seniors face unique challenges related to maintaining their oral health in order to keep their natural teeth. Family dentists understand the needs of patients at each stage of life, and can provide optimum treatment for those specific challenges.
Your smile is one of your most valuable assets and your oral health should not be compromised. Finding a good family dentist is your first step in the right direction.
Not everyone has the advantage of a perfect smile. A smile makeover can help you transform your look into what you’d like it to be, and it doesn’t have to take a long time. You can walk away from just one appointment with a better smile. Here are some of the fast treatments using non-invasive techniques that are available.
Whitening teeth If you’re considering making over your smile, one of the quickest and simplest places to start is teeth whitening. In as little as one hour in a professional setting, you can transform your look by brightening your smile more effectively than trying it at home. Whitening products sold for home use are not as strong as professional methods, so it takes a longer period of consistent use to brighten your teeth only a shade or two. Professional whitening uses stronger concentrations of bleaching agents and a special light to hasten the process, and achieves dramatic results.
Removing white spots Unsightly white spots that you might see on your teeth are signs of demineralization under your tooth enamel. A smile makeover can include using resin infiltration, which is a non-invasive procedure that can effectively treat white spots. You can say goodbye to the spots in as little as thirty minutes of treatment time. Teeth whitening is not advised, as it can make white spots even more noticeable.
Reshaping teeth Minor flaws like chipped, cracked, or misshapen teeth can be corrected with contouring. Small areas of your teeth can be shaved or tooth-colored resin can be applied to alter the length or shape of teeth. Tooth contouring can take as little as a half hour, and is great for those with healthy teeth that just need slight alterations for appearance purposes.
Repairing chips or gaps Dental bonding is a simple procedure that hides gaps, chips, stains, or spacing problems. Tooth-colored resin is sculpted onto the tooth to provide a more appealing smile in only about an hour.
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The traditional silver fillings that patients have been getting for many years have come into the spotlight in recent years. Some people wonder if these silver, or amalgam, fillings are safe because they contain small amounts of mercury.
Background
Amalgam fillings contain a mixture of half liquid mercury and half a blend of silver, copper, and tin. This material is soft and malleable, which makes it easy to be sculpted to fit well into the tooth and not affect the patient’s bite. Amalgam fillings have been used to fill cavities for over 150 years.
Risks
The concern about mercury as an ingredient in amalgam fillings is due to the health risks of toxicity or allergies associated with exposure. Significant mercury exposure can cause chronic illnesses, autoimmune disorders, birth defects, oral lesions, and mental disorders. The FDA has investigated the safety of amalgam fillings, however, and determined that the mercury levels are too low to present adverse health risks for adults or children over age six. It has also been deemed safe for nursing mothers to have amalgam fillings. Both the FDA and the American Dental Association maintain that these types of fillings are safe.
Alternatives
Patients who are uncomfortable with amalgam fillings may choose composite resin material instead. This newer type of filling is used in about 70 percent of fillings performed today, and many patients prefer the tooth-colored resin because it is less noticeable in the mouth than silver fillings. Patients who have concerns about amalgam fillings already in place may ask the dentist about switching to composite resin instead.
Depending on the degree of gum disease you have been diagnosed with, treatment can vary extensively. It can range from having a regular teeth cleaning and paying more attention to dental hygiene, to complex and often painful surgery. If you’ve been told you have a problem with your gums, seek treatment immediately.
Your dentist will perform a gum exam to decide the best treatment plan. This includes measuring the gum pockets around your teeth, noting inflammation, and checking gum recession. If gum pockets are extensive, it may mean you have bone loss. In that case, your dentist might refer you to a gum specialist called a periodontist.
Gingivitis is the earliest stage of gum disease. All that may be required is a thorough professional cleaning, better oral hygiene, consistent checkups, and allowing time for gums to heal. If gum problems have advanced, a deeper professional cleaning called scaling and root planning may be needed. Medications might be prescribed to treat infection. If the areas don’t respond to these treatments, gum surgery can be performed to remove diseased tissue, save the remaining gums and bone, and allow a better environment for good future oral health.
Receding gums sometimes are not severe enough for any treatment, but cosmetic concerns may warrant a gum graft procedure. It involves surgically removing tissue from another area of the mouth and grafting it onto the receded area. Another issue might be a gum abscess, which requires deep cleaning to remove diseased tissue and any pus that is present. Antibiotics will likely be needed for the infection. Once the abscess is cleared, further treatment may be needed to avoid a recurrence.
As you can see, there are a variety of possible treatments depending upon the severity of your gum problems. Of course the best solution is to avoid gum issues in the first place by maintaining good oral hygiene and regular dental checkups.
Your smile is a valuable asset, but needs care to ensure it maintains its beauty. It’s essential to brush at least twice a day and floss once a day, but other factors can influence oral health. The following pointers could help you maintain a healthy smile for life.
Book Regular Dental Checkups Most dentists recommend patients visit them twice a year, although some people may benefit from more frequent checkups. These visits are essential for your dentist in Central Falls to examine your mouth, and can help detect any early signs of disease before they become a problem.
Watch Your Diet A healthy balanced diet should include plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as lean proteins and low-fat dairy products. This will help provide your teeth and gums with all the nutrients needed to keep them strong and healthy, and promotes overall good health.
Quit Using Tobacco Products Smoking or using tobacco products is well known for causing stained and discolored teeth, and smokers are more likely to have bad breath. In addition, smoking makes it harder for your gums to heal and increases the risk of oral cancer.
Quit Bad Oral Habits Using your teeth to open packets, chewing on ice cubes and pens, and biting your nails can all cause small fractures and chips in your teeth. Your dentist can offer useful advice on quitting these habits.
Don’t Ignore Any Early Signs and Symptoms If you develop toothache or notice your gums bleed when you brush or floss, contact your dentist in Central Falls right away. These diseases are far easier to treat when detected early. Ignoring tooth sensitivity that could indicate a small filling is needed might mean you’ll eventually need a root canal, or even that you lose the tooth completely.
Protect Your Mouth Popular activities such as football, soccer, basketball and hockey can all cause facial injuries. Even noncontact sports such as skateboarding may be hazardous. Your dentist can provide you with a custom-made mouth guard that will help protect your teeth and jaws during sports.
We look forward to seeing you in our Central Falls dental office
