What Can Your Senior Do to Keep Her Mouth Healthy?

Keeping your elderly family member’s mouth healthy is vital for so many reasons. First and foremost, she can’t eat properly if her mouth is causing her extreme pain. Doing whatever you can to keep her mouth healthy involves heading back to the basics of oral hygiene.

Elder Care in Shelter Island NY: Senior Mouth Care

Go to the Dentist Regularly

As much as your elderly family member might dislike this one, going to the dentist regularly is vital for keeping her mouth healthy. This is important even if your senior has a full set of dentures, even if she doesn’t believe that to be true. Your elderly family member’s dentist can spot problems before they become too painful or debilitating for her.

Keep up with Brushing and Flossing

Brushing and flossing every day is just as important as dentists have always told both you and your elderly family member. If she’s having difficulty brushing on her own, having senior care providers available can be extremely helpful. They can guide her through different brushing and flossing techniques that are easier for her or that cause less pain or strain on her joints. If brushing is way too difficult, they can even take over for your senior or show you proper techniques for brushing someone else’s teeth.

Keep Dentures and Other Appliances in Good Condition

Make sure that you and your aging family member both know how to take care of any appliances and dentures that she uses. Almost all dental appliances need to be kept moist so that they don’t dry out and crack, so even if your aging family member doesn’t wear her dentures every day, for instance, it’s important to check them daily and make sure that they’re submerged safely in the water.

Encourage Her to Bring Problems to Your Attention

Dental and oral problems can be embarrassing. If you don’t encourage your senior to bring problems to your attention, she might experience pain and discomfort needlessly. Waiting too long can create even bigger problems such as painful sores that take a long time to heal or even bone loss that can’t be reversed. If you can, try to examine your elderly family member’s mouth regularly so that you can spot potential issues.

Good oral health is different for everyone, of course, but it definitely means that your senior needs to be paying attention to what’s going on with her teeth, mouth, and gums. Helping her to choose the right tools and products helps, too.

If you or an aging loved one is considering Elder Care in Shelter Island, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at 631-685-5001.