Dental Articles - Waterdown

Dental Care for Seniors in Waterdown

Keeping your own teeth into your seventies and eighties is now the normal outcome rather than the exception. That is a genuine public health success, and it has created a set of problems dentistry did not used to deal with at scale. Teeth that have been in use for seventy years wear, crack and decay differently from teeth that have been in use for thirty.

Dry mouth is the single biggest issue, and it is usually medication

Saliva does far more than most people realise. It buffers acid, washes away food, and carries the calcium and phosphate that repair enamel before decay takes hold. Reduce saliva and you remove the mouth's entire defensive system at once.

Ageing itself does not cause much dry mouth. Medication does. Several hundred common prescriptions reduce saliva flow, including many drugs for blood pressure, depression, anxiety, allergies, incontinence and Parkinson's. Someone taking four or five medications is very likely to be affected, and the effect compounds.

The result is a pattern dentists recognise immediately: decay appearing rapidly in someone who has had almost none for decades. It is worth saying plainly, because people often assume it means they have started neglecting their teeth. It usually means their prescriptions changed.

What helps: sipping water through the day, sugar-free gum to stimulate flow, a high fluoride toothpaste where we recommend one, avoiding alcohol-based mouthwashes which dry the tissue further, and a humidifier at night. Do not stop a medication over this. Raise it with your physician, since an alternative may exist.

Root decay, which behaves differently

As gums recede with age, the root surface becomes exposed. Root surface is not enamel. It is cementum and dentine, it is considerably softer, and it begins to dissolve at a much less acidic pH than enamel does. Decay there spreads faster and sideways around the tooth rather than downwards.

This is why an older patient can develop a serious problem between two routine visits. It is also why we may recommend shorter recall intervals and fluoride application, and why cleaning right at the gumline matters more than it used to.

Gum disease and general health

Gum disease is cumulative. Bone lost at fifty is still lost at seventy, so what presents in later life is often the total of decades. It is also the point at which teeth start to loosen.

Two practical complications matter. Reduced hand strength from arthritis makes brushing genuinely harder, and a large-handled or electric brush is not a luxury in that situation. And anyone taking blood thinners or bisphosphonates for osteoporosis should make sure we know, because both change how extractions and gum treatment are planned. Bring an up to date medication list to every appointment.

Dentures need maintaining, and mouths keep changing

A common and costly misunderstanding is that dentures are permanent. The jawbone continues to resorb after teeth are removed, so a denture that fitted perfectly a few years ago gradually stops matching the ridge it sits on.

A loose denture is not a minor annoyance. It causes ulceration, it makes people avoid harder foods and quietly narrow their diet, and it accelerates bone loss where it rocks. Relines restore the fit without remaking the whole denture. Dentures should also be left out overnight and cleaned outside the mouth, because denture stomatitis is common and largely preventable.

Where enough bone remains, implants can be used to stabilise a lower denture, which is the case that tends to improve quality of life most.

Oral cancer screening

Risk rises with age, and the great majority of cases are found at routine dental examinations rather than because the patient noticed something. Early lesions are usually painless, which is exactly why they get missed. Any ulcer that has not healed in three weeks, any patch of red or white tissue, any persistent hoarseness or difficulty swallowing, should be looked at rather than watched.

The Canadian Dental Care Plan applies at any age now

The phased rollout has finished, so the CDCP is no longer restricted by age group. Eligibility rests on adjusted family net income under $90,000, having no access to private dental insurance including through a spouse, a parent or a pension, being a Canadian resident for tax purposes, and having filed your most recent return.

Coverage is tiered: income under $70,000 has eligible fees covered in full, $70,000 to $79,999 at 60 percent, and $80,000 to $89,999 at 40 percent. Exams, radiographs, cleanings, fillings, extractions and dentures are included. Our CDCP page sets out the detail, and note that a gap can remain between what the plan pays and the practice fee.

Making appointments manageable

Tell us what you need. Longer appointments, more breaks, a slower pace or a particular time of day are all straightforward to arrange when we know in advance. If a family member usually attends with you, they are welcome. If dental visits have become stressful, our note on dental anxiety covers the options, including sedation.

Panacea Dental is at 105 Clappison Ave #103 in Waterdown, open Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. We are accepting new patients. Call 289-408-5100 or book online.

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