As the Australian population ages, many of us are helping to look after our elderly parents or grandparents. During the current climate, our elderly parents are more vulnerable than ever before – while we know that it’s important to look after their physical and mental health, what we might not be doing properly is checking their oral health. According to NSW Health, oral disease places a considerable burden on older people, their families and the wider community. For older people, poor oral health can go beyond infection and tooth loss. It can include chronic pain, cognitive impairment (such as dementia) and infections (such as pneumonia – something that we want older Australians to be avoiding during the coronavirus crisis).
Why is oral health so important in seniors?
You might be thinking ‘my elderly mother doesn’t have teeth anymore,’ but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a mouth that needs looking after. By improving oral hygiene in seniors, we can help to prevent diseases they are more at risk of developing. Study after study has linked poor oral health to diseases such as heart disease, pneumonia and dementia.
It’s proven that oral health and disease are closely related to general health and disease. Yet, as people age, they tend to interact with a range of healthcare workers more frequently than they do a dentist. Maintaining good oral health care is a strong weapon against these diseases.
What does oral health entail?
Australians aged 75 and over have on average 24.3 decayed, filled or missing teeth. But, you don’t need teeth to benefit from oral health care. Oral health care includes the lips, tongue, gum and tissues, saliva, natural teeth, dentures, oral cleanliness and dental pain. By keeping the entire mouth in good health, our seniors prevent ulcers, lesions and diseases caused by the harmful bacteria that can thrive in an unhygienic mouth.
How to look after oral hygiene in seniors
While we know that the diet affects mouth hygiene, there are a number of things the elderly could be doing differently to improve their overall mouth health. Here are five easy ways to look after oral hygiene in seniors as their carer:
1. Brushing teeth (real or not) morning and night
Senior’s natural teeth should be brushed every morning and night to prevent tooth decay and gingivitis. If they wear dentures, these also need to be cleaned every morning and night to prevent the growth of fungi and the spread of harmful bacteria which can make them sick. The most effective and easiest way to clean dentures is with Dr Mark’s HyGenie – an all-in-one solution to keeping dentures hygienic.
2. Use a soft toothbrush on gums, tongue and teeth
Using a hard toothbrush to remove stubborn stains and plaque build up might sound like the solution, but a soft toothbrush is actually the one recommended by dental specialists. Don’t forget that oral health is about more than just teeth. The gums and tongue should also be cleaned twice daily.
3. Don’t forget to floss
Flossing is just as important as brushing teeth as it prevents the build up of food which can get stuck in between the teeth. This build up can cause tooth decay, cavities and gum disease as it forms plaque on the teeth and along the gum line.
4. Examine the lips and mouth
Always check for cracks, lumps, lesions or sores inside and around the mouth. If these don’t heal on their own, or if they become painful, you might need to seek professional dental advice. These mouth issues can become painful and make it difficult to speak or eat.
5. Change behaviour
Finally, there might be some resistance to changing oral hygiene practices, especially when it comes to cleaning dentures. Often we become stuck in our ways and while seniors might be used to leaving their dentures in a glass of water, shaking them off and popping them back in again, it’s important to change these behaviours to make important oral hygiene habits stick.
Don’t let your senior’s oral hygiene deteriorate. Good hygiene habits will keep you, your family and elderly parents healthier during these uncertain times. And if you do have grandparents that wear dentures, try Dr Mark’s HyGenie and Sure Grip Denture Brush, paired with Dental Fresh, for an ergonomic, easy-to-use and compact cleaning solution.
