Elderly dental care

As most middle-aged and elderly people age, there will be many age-related changes in the hard tissues, pulp, and periodontal tissues of the teeth, such as gradual wear and thinning of enamel and dentin, shortening of dental crowns, and in severe cases, even to the point of approaching the neck of the teeth, reducing the distance between the jaws; The gums gradually shrink, the alveolar bone physiologically absorbs, and the height gradually decreases, resulting in exposed roots, widened gaps between teeth, and loose teeth. Reduced saliva function, decreased secretion, decreased flow rate, dryness of oral mucosa, decreased elasticity, leading to low self-cleaning effect of the mouth and increased susceptibility to oral diseases. These changes are essentially the gradual aging and degeneration of the human body.

How to delay the decline of teeth and periodontal tissue?

一、 Develop good oral hygiene habits. The tooth integrity rate of middle-aged and elderly people is low. Most people have dentures. The incidence rate of tooth attack

disease is high, and the periodontal atrophy, tooth displacement, and wide tooth space are easy to embed food. Toothpicks should be used carefully, and dental floss can

be used instead to remove food debris from the tooth space. When eating, it is important to chew thoroughly. This can stimulate the secretion of saliva, flush out debris

from teeth, and massage the gums, helping to maintain the health of teeth

二、 Regular oral examinations to promptly detect and treat dental diseases. Rotten teeth should be promptly treated with filling, periodontal disease patients should adhere to systematic treatment, missing teeth should be repaired in a timely manner, and regular teeth cleaning should be performed.

三、 Strengthen overall and local exercise. After brushing your teeth in the morning and evening, place a clean index finger on the gum mucosa, massage upwards and downwards from the root of the tooth towards the crown, and rub back and forth horizontally along the gum for 1-2 minutes to improve blood circulation and thicken the gingival epithelium. After brushing your teeth in the morning and evening, or during regular times, tapping your teeth up and down 30 to 50 times at a time can promote blood circulation in the periodontal tissue. Enhance its disease resistance and delay its aging.

四、 Pay attention to dietary nutrition. The growth and development of teeth are closely related to the quality of nutrition. Vitamin A deficiency can lead to incomplete enamel development, which in turn affects the disease resistance of teeth; Vitamin C deficiency can hinder the absorption and utilization of calcium, thereby affecting the calcification of teeth. Fluorine can reduce the incidence of dental caries through systemic and local effects. Rough and fibrous foods, such as vegetables and fruits, have the function of cleaning teeth, which is beneficial for maintaining oral hygiene and reducing the occurrence of dental caries and periodontal diseases. In addition, proteins, vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, fluoride, and other components contribute to the repair and reconstruction of teeth and periodontal tissues.

Menopausal symptoms can manifest in the oral cavity

Some female patients around 50 years old complain of abnormal sensations such as burning pain, numbness, and decreased taste in their tongue or other parts of the mouth, but doctors do not find any problems during examination, or only have mild tongue papillitis. This is actually a manifestation called burning mouth syndrome.

According to statistics, this syndrome accounts for about 5.1% of dental patients, and 20-90% of menopausal patients suffer from burning mouth syndrome, which is a group of syndromes mainly characterized by burning and stabbing sensations in the tongue. The disease mostly occurs at the base of the tongue, followed by the tongue edge, back, and tip. The pain is similar to being scalded by boiling water. When the disease occurs, the tongue pain is mild in the morning and severe in the evening, and it worsens when talking too much, eating dry food, and resting during leisure time.

Many patients think that burning mouth syndrome is a simple oral disease, but its causes can be divided into three aspects: local stimulation, systemic diseases, and psychological factors. Local oral factors include residual roots and crowns of decayed teeth, mechanical stimulation from dental fillings or dentures, dental calculus, and excessive alcohol and smoking, which can cause oral irritation. Systemic factors include women's menopausal endocrine disorder, Sjogren's syndrome, hypertension, diabetes, malnutrition, anemia, vitamin deficiency and long-term use of various drugs.

If there are symptoms of oral discomfort such as tongue pain, the first step is to undergo gynecological, endocrine, cardiovascular and other examinations to see if there is a systemic disease. Secondly, it is necessary to consult a dentist to check for any local oral irritants. And it is necessary to remove the residual roots and crowns of teeth in the oral cavity, improperly filled dentures and fillings, remove irritating factors such as dental calculus, and then receive appropriate targeted treatment.