Playing it safe with a custom mouthguard

Linda Preventative Dentistry , , , 0 Comment
Playing it safe with a custom mouthguard

Can you imagine your front tooth getting knocked out while playing your favourite sport? How about experiencing a fractured jaw or concussion?

Sports-related oral injuries and trauma are among the most common experienced by athletes – young and old, and of any ability. In Australia, thousands of adults and children are treated for emergency oral injury and trauma each year.

Participation in a number of sports or physical activities may increase the risk of oral injury, including the following:

  • Contact sports – rugby, touch football, hockey, volleyball, polo, soccer, basketball, netball, boxing, martial arts, wrestling, weightlifting, basketball, baseball and cricket.
  • Non-contact sports – gymnastics, acrobatics, track & field, cycling, skiing and squash.
  • Recreational activities – climbing, mountain biking, skateboarding, roller-blading, horse riding, sky diving and surfing.

Essentially, any sport or activity with the possibility of contact with another player or a hard surface carries a higher risk of oral injury. The damage occurs when your mouth or chin area sustains a strong blow or impact during a game or even at training.

Wearing the right mouthguard – when playing contact sports or undertaking risky recreational activities – is important if you want to prevent serious oral injury to your teeth, jaw, mouth, lips, tongue and inner cheeks.

How do mouthguards work?

Mouthguards are worn to provide protection for both the hard oral tissue (teeth and jaw bone) and soft oral tissue (lips, tongue, cheeks and gums). Mouthguards help to absorb, spread and dissipate the impact forces of a blow or direct hit to the mouth and chin area. They also help stabilise the head and neck at the same time.

Some other benefits from wearing a protective mouthguard include the following:

  • Helps prevents concussion. Concussions occur when the lower jaw hinge impacts forcefully up into the base of the skull. Mouthguards act as “shock absorbers” and can cushion blows to the chin.
  • Prevents contact between your upper and lower teeth and jaws.
  • Saves on dental costs. By preventing oral injury, your investment in a mouthguard can save you thousands of dollars in emergency and restorative dental treatment costs.
  • More confidence during the game. The psychological benefits of full-mouth protection can help players who are overcautious or hesitant during a game.
  • Protects or minimises damage to existing dental work (crowns, bridges) or fixtures (braces).

 
Tc-dental-group-mouth-gurad-contact-sports

Choosing the right mouthguard

You have a choice of custom-made mouthguards from your dentist or over-the-counter “boil and bite” mouthguards, when it comes to buying a mouthguard. But not all mouthguards are created equal.

According to research by the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), the level of protection provided by a mouthguard bought from a sporting goods store or chemist was no match for a custom properly-fitted mouthguard made by a dentist.

The results of their study in 2014 showed that football players who wore over-the-counter mouthguards suffered more than twice the number of concussions compared to players wearing custom-made ones.

The Australian Dental Association (ADA) also recommends the use of a custom-made mouthguard for all Australians participating in sports and activities that carry a high risk of oral injury.

TC Dental custom-made mouthguards

At TC Dental, we take the job of making your custom-made mouthguard very seriously. We ensure that each of our patients has a personal mouthguard that provides the highest degree of fit, protection and comfort.

When you come in to have your mouthguard made up, we take a dental impression of your teeth for starters. From this impression, a precise cast is made, which our on-site dental laboratory technician uses to design and create your own uniquely-fitted mouthguard. Your TC dentist also provides you with care advice and follow-up mouthguard assessments at your regular check-ups.

If you want to protect the teeth of you and your family with a custom-fitted mouthguard, call our friendly team at TC Dental on (07) 3349 9334 to schedule an appointment. We’ll have you playing safer in time for your next game.

How electric toothbrushes can improve your oral health

Linda Preventative Dentistry , ,
How electric toothbrushes can improve your oral health

Manual toothbrushes have served us well as an effective tool to maintain and improve our oral health for centuries. They are inexpensive, easy to buy and portable which means you can brush your teeth anytime and anywhere. When a suitable manual toothbrush is used correctly in a regular oral care routine – for a full two minutes each time, twice a day – you can easily achieve your oral health goals.

But that’s easier said than done nowadays. Why? A lot of us – young and old – are in a hurry to get things done.

Our busy modern lifestyles have made it increasingly difficult to perform a thorough brushing session. We just squeeze the toothpaste on to our cheap toothbrush, and perform a quick once-over and rinse, before heading out.

Over time, being negligent about your oral health in this way, only leads to oral health problems – unless you start using an electric toothbrush.

Consider these facts. The average number of strokes per minute when you use a manual toothbrush is about 200 repetitions. The latest electric toothbrushes can brush at up to 30,000 strokes per minute. If you only had a minute to brush your teeth, which brush would you choose? The one that brushes 30,000 or 200 times a minute? It’s a no-brainer.

Speaking of no-brainers, when you use an electric toothbrush, it’s been described as “brainless brushing”. That’s because all you have to do is move your electric from tooth to tooth. If you lose track of time, most electrics have a timer function that lets you know when your two minutes is up.
But that’s not all.

Concerned that the whirring “plaque-busting” bristles will carve out your gums? No worries. Modern electrics are very gentle, and even have pressure indicators that let you know the moment you brush too hard – thus avoiding potential damage to your tooth enamel and gums. They also have different head movement modes, such as ultrasonic, side-to-side, and circular to effectively remove plaque.

The very latest electric toothbrushes can even upload “brush-time and brush-stroke” data to your dentist via Wi-Fi! This allows your dentist to keep a record of your brushing habits. These records can assist them to conduct a more informed dental examination and assessment at your next check-up.

Electric toothbrushes are here to stay. They offer a number of advantages over manual toothbrushes. In short, they do all the work for you. Older adults with worsening fine motor skills and dexterity issues may find it easier to use an electric toothbrush. People with disabilities and kids wearing braces can benefit as well. Some electrics even teach kids how to brush.

TC-dental-group-Electric-brush-choice

The biggest drawback for many people when it comes to electric toothbrushes is paying the extra money – they can cost up to $300. There are also the replacement heads to buy. However, when you start to consider electrics as a long-term investment in your oral health, you’ll realise that they help prevent oral health issues that can be far more expensive to treat.

Consult with your dentist if you are still uncertain about your electric toothbrush options. They can offer you the right advice, recommend the type of electric toothbrush that best fits your oral health needs – and show you how to use it to achieve a super clean and healthy smile!

Keep your teeth healthier this winter – with a little ray of sunshine!

Linda Oral Health Education, Preventative Dentistry , , ,
Keep your teeth healthier this winter – with a little ray of sunshine!

Winter has long been associated with catching the flu, stuffy noses and staying indoors. Trouble is, when you don’t get enough sun exposure, you run the risk of experiencing a vitamin D deficiency – which increases your risk of cavities, especially by late winter and early spring.

Your bare skin is designed to produce the correct amount of vitamin D that you need – when it is exposed to the right amount of sunlight.

But in winter we tend to cover up and stay indoors. By late winter, your body may experience lower levels of vitamin D, which makes your body more vulnerable to a range of health problems, including tooth cavities.

Why does a vitamin D deficiency cause tooth cavities?

Receptors throughout your body absorb vitamin D, which in turn promotes the absorption of calcium. Your body needs calcium because it is an essential component of strong teeth and bones.

When your teeth do not get enough calcium, your tooth enamel weakens, making them more prone to tooth cavities.

How do my teeth absorb vitamin D and calcium?

Your teeth have vitamin D receptors that are located within the cells responsible for forming tooth enamel and dentin.

The vitamin D, absorbed by these receptors, makes calcium and phosphate available to the cells. The cells go on to convert these two minerals into enamel and dentine. This remineralisation process improves the strength of your teeth, and prevents demineralisation from plaque acid.

The benefits don’t stop there.

When vitamin D is absorbed by the receptors in your teeth, “good” anti-microbial proteins are produced also. These proteins fight off the cariogenic oral bacteria that are responsible for creating tooth cavities.

What is the right amount of sun exposure to beat a vitamin D deficiency?

During winter, light skinned Australians should expose their bare skin (about two arms worth) to sunlight for between 10 – 30 min per day for their vitamin D needs. If you have dark skin, you’ll need between 20 min – 3 hrs per day. These times vary depending on your skin type and location in Australia.

Since it is winter and overall UV levels are low, the recommended time of the day is between 10 am to 2pm. Sunscreen should be avoided since it prevents the skin from producing vitamin D.

TC-dental-group-Vit-D-BLOG

Foods that boost your vitamin D levels

If you don’t have many opportunities to bask in the winter sun, try eating more mushrooms, eggs, oily fish (including salmon, mackerel and tuna), cheese and fortified grains for a vitamin D boost.
Vitamin D supplementation is also an option; though consult your doctor first for more advice.

References

  1. Youssef, D., C. Miller, A. El-Abbassi, D. Cutchins, C. Cutchins, W. Grant, and A. Peiris. “Antimicrobial Implications of Vitamin D.” Dermatoendocrinology 3.4 (2011): 220-29
  2. Grant, W.B. “A Review of the Role of Solar Ultraviolet-B Irradiance and Vitamin D in Reducing Risk of Dental Caries”. Dermatoendocrinology 3.3 (2011): 193-98.
  3. Hujoel, P. “Vitamin D and dental caries in controlled clinical trials: systematic review and meta-analysis.” Nutrition Reviews 71.2 (2013): 88-97.
  4. Australian Vitamin D Sunshine Map, Page 2, Vitamin D Consumer guide. Link: https://www.osteoporosis.org.au/sites/default/files/files/oa_consumer_vitd_ed3_09-16.pdf

Invisalign® – the invisible teeth straightening solution

Linda Restorative Dentistry , , , ,
Invisalign® – the invisible teeth straightening solution

Invisalign® is a clear and removable alternative to braces that can help adults, teens and kids to transform their smiles – while maintaining good oral health and an active lifestyle at the same time.

With Invisalign® clear aligners, you have the freedom to take out your aligners for eating, cleaning your teeth and attending special occasions. When you’re done, you just pop them back in. At any other time, when you are wearing Invisalign® “crystal clear” aligners, most people won’t even notice because they are almost invisible!

TC Dental Invisalign®teeth straightening

You won’t even notice that you are wearing them because Invisalign clear aligners straighten your teeth without any irritation or discomfort.

Getting your teeth aligned correctly with Invisalign is a proven way to improve your smile and confidence. But did you know that there are important oral health benefits from straightening your teeth?

The most common oral health reason to straighten misaligned teeth is to correct a “bad bite”. Crooked or crowded teeth can cause chewing and digestive problems, headaches, chronic pain and TMD (temporomandibular disorder).

Invisalign® is suitable for most cases of teeth misalignment. In cases of more complex teeth-straightening issues, such as large gaps and rotated teeth, you may be referred to an orthodontist. However, research has shown that up to 80% of all adults are suitable candidates for using aligners.

If you are planning to have veneers, then straightening your teeth first can contribute to a better result. The aligners move your teeth into their ideal positions before veneers are applied. This means that there is minimal veneer preparation involved, and less weakening of your teeth in the process.

For a big, beautiful smile, Invisalign® invisible aligners do all the work for you – without you or anyone else noticing. Invisalign® patients experience better periodontal health, comfort, convenience and satisfaction during treatment compared to fixed wired braces.

For more information about Invisalign clear aligners, or if you would like to book a consultation with one of our Invisalign®-trained dentists, call TC Dental today on (07) 3349 9334

The 4 types of teeth and their important roles in digestion

Linda Oral Health Education , , , , , ,
The 4 types of teeth and their important roles in digestion

There are four types of teeth in your mouth. Each type has specific functions as you bite and chew through your food. Without them and your natural saliva, we would not be able to process and prepare the food we eat well enough for healthy digestion.

The first crucial step in the pre-digestive process is to chew food thoroughly in order to break the larger food particles down.

Once they have been broken down into smaller particles, they are more easily swallowed, digested and absorbed into your body. This helps your body to obtain nutrients from each meal you eat more efficiently. In other words, nothing goes to waste!

TC-dental-teeth-type-teeth-roles

The four types of teeth and their functions:

  • Incisors

    The incisors are the eight thin, flat and sharp teeth in the front of your mouth. You have a set of four at the top and another four at the bottom.
    Incisors have a sharp biting action that cuts food into a chewable-sized piece.

  • Canines

    You have four sharp and pointed canine teeth, otherwise known as cuspids or “fangs”. There is a canine tooth on both sides of your upper and lower incisors.
    Your canines can help to grip and position food (like an apple) before you bite down. They also assist in tearing food.

  • Premolars

    Next down the line are the premolars, otherwise known as bicuspids. They have a flattened top. There is a pair of premolars situated behind each canine, making up a total of eight premolars.
    Premolars help to tear, split and break up food before sending in down to the molars for grinding.

  • Molars

    At the end of the line, you have a set of three molars behind each pair of premolars, making up a total of twelve molars. They are your largest and flattest teeth.
    Your molars are the workhorses in your mouth. They mash, grind, crush and chew food with saliva and digestive enzymes until it is ready to swallow.

Look after your teeth for life – to experience the health benefits from being able to chew your food thoroughly!

The transmission of cavity-causing bacteria from mother to child

Linda Oral Health Education, Preventative Dentistry , , , , ,
The transmission of cavity-causing bacteria from mother to child

Most parents should already be aware of the main oral health strategies that help promote and maintain good oral health in children.

They include the following:

  • establishing good oral care and hygiene habits at an early age, such as brushing their teeth with fluoride toothpaste
  • setting up a trusted dental home for your child by 12 months of age, where they can feel safe, familiar and comfortable with their dentist, treatment and dental environment.
  • ensuring your child follows a dentist-approved diet that does not contribute to tooth decay.
  • regular dental check-ups and cleans every six months.

But there is one other recommendation that most parents and caregivers (about 90%) aren’t aware of – preventing the transmission of cariogenic (cavity-causing) bacteria.

In other words, if you have active tooth decay, you can pass the nasty oral bacteria associated with it, directly onto your child. And it’s important to keep in mind – baby teeth are very susceptible to decay while erupting because tooth enamel is still very soft at this stage.

Numerous clinical studies over the last 30 years have documented the link between the oral health conditions experienced by the primary caregivers and the risk factor for early childhood caries (ECC) in young children.

One study by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) in 2011 showed that high maternal levels of the mutans streptococci bacteria (MS) correlated with the early colonisation of their child’s oral cavity by the bacteria. The results of the study also showed that the same strains of MS were present in both mother and child.

Choice dental Browns plains dentist Baby kiss

The transfer of bacteria from mothers (and fathers) to their young child occurs mainly through salivary contact. There are a number of ways for this to happen while giving care and socially interacting with the child:

  • kissing an infant’s lips, or “nibbling” on their fingers and toes
  • unhygienic physical contact
  • sharing eating and drinking utensils, including cups and spoons
  • pre-chewing food for infants
  • blowing on a baby’s food to cool it down – just wait a bit!
  • sharing the consumption of the same food item
  • sharing toothbrushes
  • toothbrush to toothbrush contact – when in storage
  • cleaning pacifiers orally

It’s not just the parents who can introduce potentially cariogenic bacteria into their young child’s mouth – family members, daycare staff and other children may all play a part in transmission.

Although salivary contact between a parent and their child is pretty much unavoidable, there are ways to lessen its impact.

To help prevent or delay the initial transmission, colonisation and proliferation of cariogenic bacteria in infants, toddlers and young children – the AAPD researchers recommended the following steps:

  1. Ensure that caregivers and others in close physical contact with the child have good oral health and low levels of oral bacteria. Caregivers should make sure that they are free of active tooth decay, cavities and gum disease.
  2. Prevent or limit activities and interactions where there is a high risk of salivary sharing, transfer or contact – especially with a caregiver who has poor oral health or high levels of infectious oral bacteria.
  3. Chewing citrus-free xylitol chewing gum 2 or 3 times per day (by the caregiver) significantly reduces the oral bacterial transmission rate.
  4. Parents can improve their own dietary and oral care habits to help reduce the risk of bacterial transmission.

And for all those parents (and grandparents) who are habitual baby kissers, try kissing your baby’s belly button – just until you get the all clear from your dentist.

Healing tooth cavities naturally

Linda Oral Health Education, Preventative Dentistry , , ,
Healing tooth cavities naturally

Tooth cavities mean a drillin’ and a fillin’!

But imagine no drills, no needles, no anaesthetic and no fillings – just a micro sponge soaked in a special solution which is inserted into the cavity.

Several weeks later the sponge has dissolved, the cavity is gone, and your tooth is fully restored and remineralised.

Imagine no more. Science fiction is now fact. Earlier this month, a team of researchers at King’s College London published research showing that they had discovered the impossible – natural tooth repair.

Granted, your teeth can already self repair – to a degree. In the event of trauma, decay or infection, the soft inner pulp of your tooth can become exposed, and prone to infection. In response, your body produces just enough dentine to seal the tooth pulp and protect it from infection – but not enough to repair the cavity.

But what the researchers at King’s College London discovered is a method that taps into this innate ability of the teeth to self repair with reparative dentine.

The researchers succeeded in further stimulating the renewal of living stem cells within the tooth pulp. This stimulation generated more dentine – a tooth mineral that forms the bulk of a tooth, beneath a protective layer of enamel.

To activate this response, the research team inserted biodegradable collagen sponges (Kolspon) into the cavities, in contact with the pulp. The sponges were soaked in a solution containing Tideglusib – a well-known, clinically-approved drug used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers discovered that small daily doses of Tideglusib stimulated the continuous natural formation of reparative dentine within the sponge over the 6 week test period.

Over time, the carrier sponge degraded, leaving behind a reparative dentine structure that filled the entire cavity site – eventually leading to a complete natural tooth restoration.

“The simplicity of our approach makes it ideal as a clinical dental product for the natural treatment of large cavities, by providing both pulp protection and restoring dentine,” commented lead author of the study, Professor Paul Sharpe.

“In addition, using a drug that has already been tested in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease provides a real opportunity to get this dental treatment quickly into clinics.”

Source:
Neves, V. C. M. et al. Promotion of natural tooth repair by small molecule GSK3 antagonists. Sci. Rep. 7, 39654; doi: 10.1038/srep39654 (2017). Image and image description adapted and edited from original source image format – complies with fair use under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Be careful what you eat this Christmas – for teeth’s sake!

Linda Restorative Dentistry
Be careful what you eat this Christmas – for teeth’s sake!

Christmas is almost upon us again, and Australian kids and adults are experts at Christmas snacking over the holiday period. Chocolate, cake, chips, Xmas pudding, custard, endless bowls of sweets – you name it, we munch it. We feast like kings and queens – but for our teeth and gums, it is an entirely different experience.

In fact, for them, the holiday period is more like holiday hell.

TC dental group eathing sake oral healthThere are heaps of healthy foods that are beneficial to our oral health. Unfortunately, a lot of traditional Christmas snacks and beverages don’t fit into this category. As it happens, they are the reason why the Xmas/New Year holiday period is probably the worst time of the year for our teeth.

Snacks that are high in refined carbohydrates and sugar, such as iced donuts, fruit mince pies and cakes, are the perfect food supply for billions of pathogenic oral bacteria in our mouths. And the more snacks we consume, the more food residue builds up on our teeth.

It’s when we take a break from snacking to watch TV that the fun really starts. That’s because it’s low tide, and the oral bacteria can feast on the food residue trapped in the nooks and crannies of our teeth – and start reproducing very quickly.

In just a few hours, the entire population of bacterial microbes on your teeth, tongue and cheeks can double in number, forming huge bacterial plaque colonies. If these bacteria are left undisturbed for 24 hours because you forgot to brush and floss your teeth – then you’ve got a bacteria population explosion.

You can even see it growing on your teeth in the mirror. It’s that whitish sticky fuzz – on your teeth, close to your gum line – that you can remove with your fingernail. It looks innocuous enough, when actually it’s a thriving plaque colony of living – and reproducing – microorganisms.

The main waste product of these developing plaque colonies is acid. Not just any acid, but a potent compound lactic acid that aggressively demineralises tooth enamel. It can start leeching out calcium from your tooth enamel within minutes – causing loss of enamel, tooth decay and cavity formation.

To make matters worse, it can take up to two hours for your saliva to neutralise this harmful acid because it is beneath dental plaque. The plaque acts as a protective cover preventing the bacterial acid from being diluted or washed away by saliva, food and beverages.

The only way to remove plaque is by brushing and flossing. For ultra-clean teeth, visit your dentist for a professional scale and clean.

Always remembers these teeth saving tips when eating and drinking over Christmas:

  1. Don’t graze on snacks or sip on sugary drinks. Consume in a timely fashion.
  2. Minimise the time sugars are present in your mouth. (E.g. avoid sucking lollies).
  3. Don’t forget your daily brush and floss routine. Look out for plaque build-ups. Keep your teeth clean and fresh, and stay hydrated when you are not eating.
  4. Don’t savour that lingering food-flavour after-taste. That’s actually the taste of trapped food residue on your teeth and tongue. At the very least, rinse your mouth with water to wash away food residue after snacking. Tooth picks and sugar-free gum can also assist.
  5. Moderation is key – eat when you are hungry. Avoid binge eating snack foods or sipping large quantities of sugary soft drinks.
  6. Try to make healthier food choices for snacks.

Eat healthy for a healthy mouth this Xmas!

Diabetes and your oral health

Linda Oral Health Education, Preventative Dentistry , , , , ,
Diabetes and your oral health

Diabetes and your oral health

World Diabetes Day will be celebrated this year on 14 November to help raise awareness of diabetes, and to help promote the importance of screening.

Presently, 1 in 2 people live with an undiagnosed diabetes condition. But with better participation in individual screening programs, it is possible to identify more people with undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes, and even those with a higher risk of developing the disease in the future.

If you are diagnosed early, then receiving follow-up treatment can greatly reduce the risk of serious complications associated with Type 2 diabetes. There are a number of well known complications:

  • Neuropathy – nerve damage
  • Nephropathy – kidney disease
  • Heart disease
  • Retinopathy – eye damage
  • PAD – peripheral arterial disease

However, there is one overlooked complication of diabetes and untreated high blood glucose levels – diabetes can put your oral health at risk.

High blood glucose levels and the side effects of some medication for the disease can cause a dry mouth.

If you have a dry mouth condition, it may indicate a decrease in your mouth’s saliva production. Saliva is essential to clean your teeth and gums, and protect against the effects of oral bacteria.

A dry mouth condition can result in further oral health complications:

  • tooth decay
  • cavities/caries
  • gum inflammation
  • gingivitis
  • periodontitis (gum disease)
  • bleeding gums
  • salivary gland infections
  • oral thrush
  • mouth sores

TC Dental Group World Diabetes Day

If your blood glucose levels are uncontrolled or untreated, your white blood cell count is also affected. This can compromise your immune response to oral infections and inflammation, and increase your risk of developing severe periodontitis (periodontal/gum disease).

Diabetics with periodontitis experience double the rate of periodontal disease progression, and an increased risk of alveolar bone loss. Severe periodontitis can drive blood sugar levels even higher, putting diabetics at increased risk for other diabetic complications.

The good news is periodontitis responds well to dental treatment, such as antibiotics and regular dental cleaning, and maintenance of good oral hygiene practices. Research has shown that periodontal treatment of diabetics may result in an improvement in their diabetes condition also.

While dentists are not qualified to diagnose Type 2 diabetes, they are among the first health care professionals to recognise symptoms that are not usually associated with typical oral health conditions.

But the incidental detection of diabetes symptoms and complications by your dentist, doctor or any other health professional may occur when the disease has already progressed.

The key to prevention of diabetes is to take personal action.

As part of World Diabetes Day 2016, IDF (International Diabetes Federation) has introduced a new online screening activity. By participating, you can find out if you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes or diabetes complications over the next ten years.

Screen yourself and encourage your adult family and friends to take the online diabetes risk assessment questionnaire also. It’s easy, confidential and only takes a few minutes.

Test2Prevent for World Diabetes Day on 14 November.

Use this link: http://www.idf.org/type-2-diabetes-risk-assessment/

Oral health care for dementia patients

Linda Oral Health Education, Preventative Dentistry , , , , , , ,
Oral health care for dementia patients

Oral health care for dementia patients

An aspect of everyday care for people with dementia, or an Alzheimer’s related condition, that is easily neglected is oral health and hygiene.

While a lot of dementia patients live in nursing homes in a supportive living community, the majority live at home, and are supported by a family caregiver (or care partner for early stage dementia).

There are many challenges that face Alzheimer’s caregivers. Managing their loved one’s health and well-being can be a daunting undertaking and an exhausting role. Caregivers are often uncertain about what tasks their loved ones are still able to perform.

dementia Alzheimer's patients and oral health

While promoting independence for as long as possible is a positive step, caregivers also need to know when to assist a patient in order to prevent injury and keep them safe.

One area of concern that may be overlooked, because the risk of injury may not be immediately apparent, is a patient’s oral health and hygiene.

When older adults with Alzheimer’s disease lose their ability to brush and floss their teeth effectively, they cannot maintain good oral health. As a result, their risk of developing tooth decay and gum disease increases significantly.*

Caregivers can assist a patient to brush and floss their teeth with a number of techniques:

  • Provide instructions using short, simple phrases.
  • Non-specific phrases such as “Brush your teeth” should be avoided.
  • Each part of the tooth brushing and flossing process can be broken down into step by step instructions – from “Put the toothpaste on the brush” to “Rinse your mouth with some water”.
  • Demonstrate how to brush teeth while the patient observes and repeats movements.
  • Hold the patient’s hand, and gently guide the brush over their teeth in the correct brushing motion.

Dementia patients should also be monitored as part of a daily dental care routine. If the patient is unable to describe symptoms of oral pain and discomfort, there are signs to look out for, such as the patient refusing to eat hard or cold foods, or making a pained expression when eating. Dental appliances including dentures should be removed, cleaned and checked.

Lastly, dental visits should be scheduled according to the patient’s needs. Dentists can also help caregivers with suggestions, advice and dental products that can assist in everyday brushing and flossing for patients.

*New research shows that dementia (or Alzheimer’s) patients with gum disease (periodontitis) experienced faster cognitive decline than those without it. The rate of decline can be up to six times faster than normal. Researchers discovered that gum inflammation and the effects of our immune response speeded up the development of dementia.