Dental Tips for the Over 50s

Dental tips

Looking after our teeth is an important thing, no matter what age we’re at. Most of the top tips for maintaining good oral health are fairly simple and we’re normally pretty good at doing them. However, there are some dental tips that can make a big difference to your oral hygiene and help ensure you have fewer complications in the future. 

Importance of Oral Hygiene

We tend not to appreciate the importance of our teeth until something has gone wrong with them. If you’ve ever had your wisdom teeth out though, you will know that dental pain can affect many areas of your life. 

Research shows that a healthy mouth is a good predictor of long life. Over 70s with 20 or more teeth have a higher chance of living longer than those over 70s with less than 20 teeth, so looking after your oral health throughout your life can have great benefits. 

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So how should you go about looking after your dental hygiene after the age of 50?

Regular Check-Ups

Let’s start off with a pretty simple one. You see your doctor regularly, so you need to give your mouth the same treatment. You should be looking at seeing the dentist at least once a year, and perhaps more based on your dentist’s advice. 

Your mouth is an important part of your body so it’s best to get a professional opinion and make sure you’re doing the right things. Find a local dentist that you feel comfortable with and schedule regular check-ups. 

Brush Twice a Day

This is another tip that’s not too difficult to carry out. Brushing twice a day for two minutes each time is vital to maintaining good oral hygiene. Invest in a good toothbrush to make sure you’re getting the most from your brushing and that you’re keeping the plaque at bay. 

Most of us are pretty good at this one, but it’s important to be consistent when it comes to brushing. 

Avoid Sugary Drinks and Snacks

Things start to get a little bit more tricky now! Limiting your daily sugar intake can have a big impact on your dental hygiene. There’s sugar hidden in so many things these days that this can be particularly difficult to do, but you can start by cutting out some of the worst offenders. 

Fizzy drinks are one of the most sugary things we consume on a daily basis and they can easily be cut out for a much healthier alternative – water. In many places, tap water contains fluoride, which actually helps look after your teeth.

One small change and you’re cutting out something that damages your teeth for something that helps your oral hygiene. 

Floss

Some people find that flossing isn’t a pleasant experience and tend to shy away from it, but there are other ways of flossing besides the classic dental floss. It’s important that you don’t just clean the surface of your teeth but in between them as well and there are different ways you can do this. 

If you’re not a fan of normal dental floss, then look for interdental brushes or water flossers which can do the same job without the irritation some people experience. 

Substitute

Now we’re getting into the realm of difficult changes, but as much as possible try to limit the amount of alcohol and tobacco you consume and replace them with healthy alternatives such as water and fruit. 

Quitting smoking and reducing your alcohol intake can have a huge effect on your oral health and if you can replace them with fruit and vegetables then you’re doubling up on the benefits. 

Of course, we’re talking about something that’s difficult to do here, but if you can manage it, the benefits can be enormous. 

Take Care of Your Teeth

You may not be able to follow all of these steps perfectly, but any step you can take will help with your oral hygiene. Start off with the easy steps and gradually work up to the more difficult ones. 

There are so many benefits to maintaining good oral health, you’ve just got to be consistent and make good choices.

 

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Dental Tips for the Over 50s
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