Darkened teeth

With aging, the teeth get darkened. This is due to the changes happening in dentin which is the bone-like layer beneath the tooth enamel. The darkening effect also appears due to lifetime usage of staining foods and beverages. Furthermore, the tooth enamel gets thinned over the years.

Dry mouth

We all know how irritating and frustrating the dry mouth can be. This is the condition which seniors face consistently. It happens due to lack of saliva flow in the mouth. The major reasons for dry mouth include certain medications and health conditions. Diseases such as diabetes and Sjögren's syndrome are major reasons for dry mouth. Radiation treatment in the head and neck area can dry up the mouth by disabling salivary glands.

Loss of sense of taste

Senses are based on nervous responses. With aging, these systems start to lose functionality. One such important function is the sense of taste. Aged people lose this sense due to aging, use of dentures and certain medical conditions.

Root decay

The pulling of gums from the teeth is one of the reasons for the tooth’s root decay. When the gums are pulled, the vulnerable part of the teeth shows up. This vulnerable part can get infected pretty easily. The gums can recede with aging and then the other problems start happening.

Gum disease

The lack of proper blood flow in the gums can lead to gums’ vulnerability against bacterial infection. Hence, the gum disease is the certain outcome in this regard. Other factors include poor fitting of bridges, use of tobacco, dentures, poor diet, and a lot of other health conditions which weaken the immune system.

One thing worth mentioning here is that age itself is not the health condition. Rather, it is the stage at which the immune system loses functionality at great extent. Due to this malfunctioning, other conditions tend to take over the control of the body. If the oral and overall health is taken care of properly, the health conditions which normally tend to happen in the senior people can be largely avoided.

Oral health tips for senior people

When it comes to taking care of oral health, the first thing to be taken into consideration is that avoidance of dental plaque. If the plaque is not prevented, it can lead to tooth decay and gum disease; a point from where things might start seeming irreversible.

There are a few ways the senior people can prevent oral health conditions from happening. Some of those things include:

• Brushing teeth twice in every day.
• Flossing
• Using a high quality mouthwash

Apart from that, visiting the dentist after every 6 months is really very important. During these dental visits, the dentist will do proper analysis of the teeth and do necessary cleaning.

Mouthwash

After eating the garlic meal, you will have to wait for your body to release the smell through a natural process, which can be quite time consuming. You definitely cannot rely on your body response if you are required to reach the job interview site in a few minutes. One of the best things that you can do in this regard is using a mouthwash which can effectively mask the odor in your mouth with a strong minty flavor.

Brush your teeth

If you have got some time before going out for the interview, you can brush your teeth. With the help of teeth’s brushing, you can get rid of the smelly food particles. Usually the food particles get settled in the tongue due to its bumpy texture. Therefore, brushing your tongue is also very important if you want to get rid of the bad breath.

Pretty much, interests in certain foods or places or topics or books evolve as we grow older simply because those tastes become more and more refined. Very rarely do you see someone like something sophisticated or “gourmet” when they’re quite young and then end up hating it later on in life.

Dental health is no different.

You see, when I was growing up, I used to be pretty worried about my teeth because of how they looked. I know that’s one of those things all kids are concerned about because of getting dates and looking cool in school and whatnot. It’s why looks matter to people that age, because it makes you feel good about yourself and confident in your abilities.

The problem is, this is a bit unhealthy in terms of seeking validation. It’s just so common that it’s almost impossible to “prevent”, per se. When I have kids and they go through those stages, they’ll undoubtedly be worried about their looks and being cool among their friends. That’s just a part of American life at this point, so I can only hope to help guide them through that.

What’s funny about dental health to me now, though, is the health part. That’s what I focus on and that’s why I maintain a good dental routine. It’s not because of how I’ll look or how clean I’ll appear to others. It’s about the future of my dental health and even my general health.

My teeth have a bit of crookedness to them, but not at first glance. It’s mostly my bottom row that’s affected. Even still, this doesn’t make cleaning them any harder, so it’s not really in my interests to get them aligned or anything, because it’s not affecting my health.

And that’s a good feeling for me, to not worry about the cosmetic side of things but rather the health side of it all. My mindset has definitely shifted in the past decade to the point that looks aren’t even a second or third concern of mine. To me, it’s all about expressing myself now with what I wear, how I appear, and how I act. It’s all about doing what I want to do for me, not for others.