It’s common for many senior citizens to face a variety of health problems, and this means that their oral health issues can sometimes take the backseat. Unfortunately, problems like arthritis or neurological issues may prevent some senior citizens from being able to care for their oral health properly.

Health Problems Facings the Elderly

Below are a few of the oral health problems that can afflict senior citizens and how these problems can be avoided: Gum Disease – Gum disease can affect people of any age, but the risk increases as you age. Gum disease is often painless in its early stages, which makes regular dental checkups even more important.

• Cavities – Tooth decay is a common dental health problem for anyone, but it’s been found that over 90% of people over the age of 65 suffer from dental cavities. Senior citizens should still be visiting the dentist every six months for a dental cleaning and a checkup.
• Trouble Eating – Dental health problems can cause problems with eating. These can be due to ill-fitting dentures, dental cavities, missing teeth, or gum disease. Many elderly people are sacrificing the quality and consistency of meals because of oral health problems.
• Dry Mouth – Lastly, dry mouth is a common problem for the elderly. This is because many medications list dry mouth as a side effect. A lack of saliva will increase the chances of tooth decay and dental cavities, so it’s important to maintain good at-home oral hygiene habits.

Properly caring for the teeth can prevent almost all of the above problems. Here at Severance Dental, we’re proud to care for patients of all ages. To make an appointment, please call or visit our Severance, Colorado dental office today. Also serving Ault, CO. You can find an Ault dentist,  or Ault family dentist here.