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Oral Hygiene and Your Senior

Keeping your elderly family member’s mouth and teeth as healthy as possible does a lot more for her than just helping her have a beautiful smile. It also can ensure that your senior can continue to eat the healthy foods that she loves regularly. Dental issues can be a huge problem for seniors and they can even be bad enough to keep your elderly family member from getting the medical care that she needs. Hiring personal care at home providers can assist in overseeing issues as they arrive.

Make Sure She Sees Her Dentist

Seeing the dentist is incredibly important for your senior, even if she feels it isn’t because of dentures or other reasons. Your elderly family member’s dentist can help her to keep her gums and mouth healthy. And if there are problems with her dentures or other dental appliances, her dentist can help her to adjust those issues and get them corrected.

Develop a Plan That Works for Her Oral Health Needs

Your elderly family member’s dental health plan might look different now than it used to. She might need to brush more often or use an oral rinse instead of brushing at times. She may also need additional help with brushing due to arthritis or other difficulties. Knowing what can help her the most enables you to put together a daily plan that is right for her.

Work Around Other Difficulties by Bringing in Personal Care at Home Services

Having help might be the absolute best thing for your senior, and caregivers who can assist with personal care tasks are a perfect solution. Personal care at home providers can make sure your elderly family member’s oral health is cared for properly and that she’s got assistance with other tasks, too. Everything from getting dressed to bathing can fall under personal care.

Address Other Health Issues

There could be other health issues causing more trouble for your senior’s oral health. Adjusting medications, making sure that all health issues are being properly treated, and seeing her doctor and dentist regularly are all going to help make sure your senior is as healthy as possible. Figuring out your elderly family member’s biggest needs can be an important first step.

Keep up with Changes in Your Senior’s Oral Health

As your elderly family member ages, she’s going to continue to experience changes in her oral health. Continuing to go to the dentist is one of the best ways for her to manage those changes. It’s also helpful for you and your elderly family member to talk about what she’s experiencing with her dental health. That can help you to stay on top of what is changing and what difficulties she might be experiencing. From there you can take steps that help her to have the best possible oral health.

Embarrassment around dental health issues can be a huge factor in keeping your senior quiet about what’s going on in her mouth. But getting past that is important because it can help you to make sure that she’s as healthy as possible for as long as she can be.