Our goal is to provide you with uncompromised dental hygiene for people living in residential care.
Why is dental hygiene important for someone living in residential care?
Preventive care is clearly a good strategy for averting serious oral health problems. Many patients, especially the elderly, are not aware of the problems in their mouths. Gum disease, tooth decay and abscesses often exist undetected and can lower total body resistance to disease. Regular examination by people trained in oral health will help detect problems as early as possible. This is especially important for people with dementia who can’t always let us know when there is a problem.
People in long-term care often have general health issues that make oral hygiene more important:
- Links have been established between uncontrolled gum disease and the progress of heart disease.
- With osteoporosis, the bone loss of gum disease progresses faster, so it’s more important to work to preserve the existing teeth.
- People with lung diseases and reduced immune systems are at high risk for pneumonia caused by breathing in bacteria that grows on teeth.
- Poor oral health will reduce your ability to chew: this can cause poor digestion, malnutrition, bad breath and pain.
Denture Care in Residential Care
Your dentures were customized to your mouth’s shape when they were made, but bone changes over time, especially with osteoporosis. Regular visits to adjust a denture will not only maximize your comfort, but also prolong the life of the existing dentures. The longer they fit, the more work you can get out of them before they need to be replaced.
Smiles at Home staff label and assess dentures for optimal fit when completing their first evaluation of your dentures. Labels are important for people who have memory loss, and do not affect the fit or appearance of the dentures. Dentures are cleaned sonically to remove tartar and stains not removed by daily cleanings. We also monitor and evaluate the mouth under the dentures, to make sure we detect and refer for treatment any lumps, bumps or sores before their treatment becomes complicated.
Smiles at Home has relationships with mobile denturists throughout Victoria who are happy to provide excellent quality work at a reasonable cost on-site at all of the facilities where we provide care.
Daily care recommendations:
1. Rinse all dentures after every meal.
2. Clean dentures at least once per day with a denture brush or toothbrush and water. Denture cleaning pastes are safe, but regular toothpaste can scratch the acrylic of a denture and should be avoided.
3.With dentures removed, use a soft toothbrush to brush your gums and existing natural teeth. Also brush your tongue gently.
4. If possible, floss between any remaining teeth at least once per day.
5. Dentures normally should not be worn at night. Dentures should be left out dry when not worn, except when soaking with denture cleaning tablets. Denture soak tablets are effective and safe, and they help care staff in assisting with evening care.
6. See your denturist and hygienist yearly for oral examinations and professional denture cleaning.
How Oral Health Affects The Rest Of Your Body
People in long-term care often have general health issues that make oral hygiene more important:
- Heart Disease: Links have been established between the progress of heart disease and uncontrolled gum disease.
- Osteoporosis: With osteoporosis, the bone loss of gum disease progresses faster, so it’s more important to work to preserve the existing teeth.
- Lung Disease, Immune Problems: People with lung diseases and reduced immune systems are at high risk for pneumonia caused by breathing in bacteria that grows on teeth. (aspiration pneumonia)
- Diabetes: People with diabetes can have more difficulty controlling their blood sugar levels when gum disease goes uncontrolled. Dental hygiene is especially important in this case.
- Medications & Dry Mouth: Many medicines for blood pressure and chronic pain, or cancer treatments can cause dry mouth (lower saliva flow). We need saliva to prevent cavities and keep our mouths comfortable. Your dental hygienist can recommend toothpastes and other drug-store products to keep you as comfortable as possible while taking these medicines.
- Poor Nutrition: Poor oral health will reduce your ability to chew; this can cause poor digestion, malnutrition, bad breath and pain.