The elderly are more susceptible to certain diseases that affect their oral health

The elderly are more susceptible to certain diseases that affect their oral health. Here is a list you can consult to answer your questions.

Periodontitis or pyorrhée

Like the rest of the body, mouth to change as we get older. The same dental problems and care is needed. The tendency to tooth decay in children is giving way to gum disease in the elderly.

How the disease moved to?

The gums and bones of the jaw has a mission to keep teeth firmly in place. Let us see together what happens during the development of the disease:



The problem begins with the plate, thin layer of bacteria that accumulates every day on the teeth. If the plaque is not removed daily with a toothbrush and floss thread, it turns into tartar that promotes infection. At the preliminary stage, the disease is called gingivitis. It may be that the gum was slightly red, but you do not even notice.
Gingivitis is more serious. You may have noticed a slight swelling of the gums, traces of blood on your toothbrush or a slight discoloration of the gums, but it is likely that this will not harm you.
In some cases, the infection destroys the bone that holds teeth in place. The real damage is invisible to the naked eye.
Then, when the bone is destroyed, then we call the disease periodontitis. Eventually, the bone has lost its grip, causing the mobility of teeth, an abscess can form and can even lose a tooth.



Some symptoms to watch for:

Bleeding gums when you brush your teeth or when you move the floss.
Constant bad breath.

Metallic taste in the mouth.
Gums purple, red or painful.
The infection of the gums usually starts with one or two places at once rather than anywhere in the mouth. Always your gums carefully. If you see anything unusual visit to the dentist.



Root caries, gingival recession and dental sensitivity

With age, your gums will tend to descend, leaving the root unprotected. This phenomenon is called gingival recession.



The root is exposed to the oral environment. It is more likely to decay because it is not covered with enamel. When decay occurs on the root, we use the term root caries.

When the root is exposed to the oral environment, you can feel the sensitivity to hot or cold, sweet foods and even when brushing. We suggest you discuss with your dentist to find solutions to this problem.



Oral Cancers

You are more exposed to oral cancer if:

You smoke and you have more than 40 years.
You drink to excess and you have more than 40 years.
You have already been treated for cancer.
You have problems of immune deficiency.
There is a screening test to diagnose oral cancer. Please ask your dentist.



Inflammation linked to prostheses

In more specific terms, this inflammation is called prosthetic stomatitis. Stomatitis is the term used to identify an inflammation of the oral mucosa. Then added prosthetic, because this is caused by inflammation dentures.
In this disease, mucosa covered by dentures is infected by fungi.
It occurs when people do not remove their dentures (dentures or partial) during the night. See the maintenance of prosthetics to avoid a similar problem and do check your palate and your mucous membranes regularly by your dentist.
Treatment:

Remove the prosthesis at least 6 hours per day.
Brush your gums and your palate 4 times a day.
After each brushing, massage your gums with an antifungal cream prescribed by the dentist to remove the infection to mushrooms and put some in the prosthesis before handing in the mouth.


Do you have dry mouth?

Many things change with age:

Loss of taste. Because of certain drugs, but because of the degeneration of taste buds.
Feeling of having dry mouth.
If these symptoms are familiar, you might have excessive dryness of the mouth (xerostomia) due to an inadequate secretion of saliva.

Here are the different roles of saliva

Defense against microorganisms.
Dissolves food and releases the flavor.
Excretion of several waste of the human body.
Lubricant.


Here are the symptoms and effects of this disease:

Dryness and burning of the mouth.
Difficulty speaking and eating.
Persistent thirst.
Thick saliva.
Caries increased.
Difficulty tolerate his prostheses (reduction in the lubricating effect of saliva).
Lesions in mouth ulcers, cracked lips that language swollen and red.
Bad breath.


Here are the possible causes of the lack of saliva

Radiotherapy of the face and neck, if it reaches the salivary glands.
Some infectious diseases.
System disease. For example, diabetes, Sjögren syndrome.
Smoking (nicotine dry mouth).
Alcoholism.
Some drugs known as promoting a dry mouth:
Diuretics.
Antihistamines.
Antidepressants
Antihypertensive.
Antiarrhythmic.
Antiparkinsonian.
Solutions and treatments:

You can find this information in the Nutrition section.



Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a major problem for the elderly and particularly among women. It is characterized by a decrease in bone mass and increased susceptibility to fractures. Even if healing seems possible, a balanced diet based on foods rich in calcium, vitamin D and fluoride can sometimes slow the process. If you want to know the sources of these nutrients, see the section Nutrition.