Special situations
How do older adults keep their teeth healthy?
Keep the basics strong — brush twice daily with fluoride, clean between the teeth, and keep your check-ups. Watch for dry mouth from medications, which raises decay risk, and mention every medicine you take.
The basics still do the heavy lifting
Keeping your own teeth working for a lifetime is exactly what we're aiming for, and it rests on the same habits that served you at thirty — brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, clean between the teeth, and keep your check-ups. None of that changes with age; if anything, staying consistent matters more, because there's more dental work to look after and a bit more that can quietly go wrong.
Gums tend to recede a little over the years, leaving softer root surfaces exposed that can decay more easily, and older fillings, crowns and bridges need watching. Regular visits let us catch these small shifts early and keep things gentle.
The dry-mouth catch
The real wrinkle later in life is dry mouth. Many common medications — for blood pressure, mood, allergies and more — reduce saliva, and saliva is your mouth's built-in rinse, washing away food and neutralising the acids that cause decay. With less of it, cavities and gum trouble get a much easier ride, often on those exposed roots.
So do tell us about every medicine you take and any dryness you've noticed — it genuinely changes how we protect your teeth. Sipping water through the day and chewing sugar-free gum both help, and we can add fluoride treatments or other simple measures to tip the odds back in your favour.
Common questions
My mouth feels dry all the time — does that matter?
It does. Less saliva means a higher risk of decay and gum trouble. Sip water, chew sugar-free gum, and tell us and your doctor about it — ongoing dryness is worth sorting out properly.
I wear dentures — do I still need check-ups?
Yes. We check the fit, your gums and any remaining teeth, and screen for other changes in the mouth. Dentures need reviewing over time as your gums change shape underneath them.