Why Your Dental Hygiene Matters As You Age

Your smile is part of your identity. Having a healthy, attractive smile can help you feel better about yourself, but it can also help others see you in a better light. Everyone loves great-looking teeth. That’s why you probably had braces as a teen.

But as you grow older, you still need help for your smile. If you don’t take care of your dental hygiene as you age, you could be facing many problems — and not just with how your teeth look.

Why Dental Hygiene Matters

There’s nothing wrong with wanting a beautiful smile, but dental hygiene also affects your health. That’s why taking care of your teeth and gums is so important as you age. As A Place For Mom explains, research shows that several medical conditions can get worse if your smile is a mess. These include heart disease, pneumonia, and diabetes.

It should come as no surprise that your dental health also suffers from poor dental hygiene. Dry mouth can increase your risk of cavities and chewing every day for so many years can leave you with worn teeth. You’re also at a higher risk of gum disease that can lead to lost teeth and widespread inflammation.

In other words, taking care of your teeth and gums can help your dental and physical health in the long run.

Dental Care Tips

Then what can you do to avoid those health problems as you grow older? It’s easy to say, “Take care of your smile!” but what does that exactly mean? The Huffington Post has a great article about dental care tips that can help.

First and foremost, you need to brush and floss regularly. You should brush twice each day and use dental floss each night. This gets rid of food particles that lead to problems like cavities, gum disease, and infections. You should also limit how much soda and juice you drink. Both are full of sugar and acids that can damage your smile. (And while diet soda has no sugar, it’s still highly acidic.) Seeing a dentist every six months is needed so if there are any problems, a dentist can fix them before they grow big.

As you get older, you should consider using an electric toothbrush as well. These are great no matter your age, as they do the work for you and often include a timer that lets you know how long to keep brushing. But older people can have problems with muscle fatigue and arthritis. Since an electric toothbrush doesn’t require as much effort to clean your teeth, it can be easier to use.

Dental Implants Restore Your Smile

These dental care tips can help protect your teeth from new problems, but they cannot reverse any damage already done. That includes getting a replacement for a lost tooth. While there are several ways to get a tooth replacement, one of the best for older people is a dental implant.

First, it’s closest to regrowing a lost tooth as you can get. But a dental implant also lasts the longest and is the most durable. With this dental restoration in place, your smile will look natural and you’ll be able to chew like normal again.

Take Care Of Your Smile

Your teeth and gums need help staying healthy. By taking care of your dental hygiene, you can improve both your dental and physical health. Make sure you brush and floss, avoid sugary drinks, and replace any missing teeth with a durable dental implant. This can help you look and feel great as you get older.

Are you ready to take control of your oral health and improve the quality of your life? Start by reaching out to Pope Dental and see how our restorative dentistry services can help you. Contact our Walnut Creek dentists at (925) 939-4989, and browse our website to learn more!