Getting Older is A Bumpy Road – What You Can Do To Make It Smooth

What do good health and good oral health have in common? Before we answer that question, what is the connection between senior health and senior oral health? If you answer, “everything,” you have the best available answer for both questions.

It’s no surprise that our senior population is exploding at an astounding rate. When all of our health care systems are in place to treat the consequences of this growth, we can be confident that our aging population has access to everything needed to guarantee health and safety.

Regrettably, depleted resources and lack of mobility often make it impossible to understand all that is necessary to maintain good health. One excellent example of this under-education combined with over-demand is the direct connection between aging and compromised oral health.

Physical and emotional conditions of the elderly, combined with the medications used to treat the diseases from which they most often suffer, result in serious impact on oral health. We see the declining condition of teeth, gum disease, dry mouth, oral infections and oral cancers. With these problems come the predisposition to other conditions such as heart and respiratory diseases.

The consequences of compromised routine oral hygiene, mobility restrictions and cognitive impairment are often decay and tooth loss. Patients suffer from physical inabilities to maintain routine oral care, making it possible for bacteria to proliferate and tooth loss to ensue. Diseases such as Parkinson’s make it physically difficult to brush and those patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s simply forget to do so.

Advanced dental issues include gingivitis or periodontal disease. The contributory causes are the same – memory loss or reduced physical capabilities. Gum disease is the most common cause for tooth loss. Sadly, this is a progressive condition. Untreated gum disease often leads to periodontal disease that can result in destruction of the bones and gum structures. Ligaments that attach teeth are compromised and teeth become loose.

Many drugs commonly associated with the diseases that are prevalent in senior populations result in the condition called dry mouth. This is an uncomfortable condition that leads to halitosis (chronic bad breath), gum disease and oral infections. While these diagnoses aren’t unique to seniors, they are more susceptible than any other demographic because of the number of medications that promote dry mouth.

Seniors are also susceptible to oral infections and ulcerations. Tissues become more sensitive with age, lending themselves to infections following abrasion, sharp teeth and/or dentures, certain foods, brushing or bruising. With infections come incidences of pneumonia and other respiratory diseases.

Many other factors can have negative effect on oral health. These include diseases such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis that will make it difficult to brush due to compromised manual abilities. Thyroid deficiencies and depression will reduce energy and motivation to maintain oral routines. In certain cases, certain symptoms and conditions can be indications of oral cancer, a disease that is frequently found in older patients.

While physicians and nursing professionals have often delivered care within the home setting, a lack of familiarity with the most significant symptoms of many oral diseases creates a failure to diagnose them. As a result, the combination of numerous medications, frequent suspension of oral hygiene and a difficulty in securing routine dental care have combined to make the senior population at risk.

These problems and an understanding of the best methods for solving them have resulted in home-based, thorough dental and denture care. EPICITI Mobile Dental Care has introduced and successfully launched a program for ongoing, effective dental care that is completed within the home or residential care setting.

Processes are exactly the same as those conducted within the traditional clinical setting with one major exception. Patients are treated where they are most comfortable, in their homes. The EPICITI Mobile Dental Care professionals are trained and practiced in treating the unique needs of the senior population. They attend to the needs of these patients in a manner that is caring, understanding and conscious of their specific priorities.

The method for initiating this in-home care is extremely simple. A phone call to EPICITI Mobile Dental Care will schedule the consultation in your home (the patient’s home) or residential care setting. They will minimize disruption to your space, bringing everything that is needed for efficient set-up and removal. You have no need to travel, transport or experience the anxiety associated with visiting a dental office.

Eliminating inconvenience and promoting ongoing oral health are now available to the population that needs these advantages. Patients who have accessed this type of service consistently report happiness with this type of care while emphasizing that its convenience always exceeds expectations. When you can promote good health while staying home, doesn’t it make sense to do so?

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EPICITI Mobile Dental Care offers house call dentistry services for seniors in nursing homes, retirement homes, long-term care facilities, hospitals, and private homes. Please feel free to get in touch with their office to schedule an in-home mobile dental cleaning or an appointment for house call denture services in the Toronto area. Their geographic coverage include mobile denture clinic services and in-home dental cleanings in Toronto, Oshawa, Hamilton, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Brampton, Richmond Hill, Aurora, Newmarket, and Barrie area. Private insurance and denture and dental cleaning coverage for ODSP and OW are available, including NHBI and Veterans Affairs. They look forward to any questions you may have.

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