With the growth of age, many middle-aged and elderly people begin to be troubled by oral health problems.
Do you have any of the following situations?
1. Tooth staining
Pigments in food and beverages will adhere to the surface of teeth, causing tooth coloring. Smoking and not paying attention to oral cleaning can also cause tooth coloring.
With the passage of time, these dyeing substances will further penetrate into the teeth, increasing the saturation of yellow, and the teeth will look less white.
There is also a kind of tooth coloring, which is caused by congenital or acquired pathological changes and the influence of drugs, resulting in coloring of the internal structure of teeth, such as [tetracycline teeth] and [dental fluorosis].
2. Gingival atrophy
Chronic periodontitis, long-term use of incorrect methods to brush teeth, often eating with the same side of the tooth will cause gingival atrophy, of course, with the increase of age, gingival will also physiologically shrink, exposing more roots.
Do you bleed when brushing your teeth or biting hard objects?
If so, pay attention to gum problems.
3. Tooth wear and corrosion
Acidic substances in food and poor oral hygiene habits can cause excessive wear and surface corrosion of teeth. Roots are more vulnerable to damage than crowns due to lack of enamel protection or more exposure due to gingival atrophy.
4. Diseases of the gums
Food residues, dental plaque, tobacco, fillers or dentures remaining in teeth, poor fit, bad eating habits, and the existence of basic diseases such as anemia, cancer and diabetes are all common causes of gum diseases in the middle-aged and elderly people.
The above problems often exist in combination, causing toothache, tooth loosening and other problems. Problems on a small tooth may seriously affect normal daily life.
5. Dentition irregularity
6. Oral infection
Improper use of dentures, poor oral hygiene, or microbial infection may all lead to oral inflammation.
For example, when immunity decreases, Candida albicans will take the opportunity to overmultiply in the oral cavity, leading to the occurrence of candidiasis.
7. Decline in taste
In addition to the loss of taste that may be caused by age growth itself, the use of diseases, drugs and dentures can also cause the loss of taste.
8. Dry mouth
Dry mouth is usually caused by reduced saliva secretion. Sjogren’s syndrome, some drugs, side effects of head and neck radiotherapy, etc., can all cause dry mouth problem.
Oral health advice from Dr. Clove
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day and choose fluoride toothpaste. Learn to floss and floss your teeth at least once a day. Get into the habit of gargling after eating; Regular visits to the Department of Stomatology for oral cleaning and dental examination.
What questions do dentists usually ask to check their teeth?
- The time and reason for the last visit to the dentist; Whether there are oral problems in what in the near future; Whether there is tooth sensitivity or even loss; Whether taste disorders, chewing disorders or swallowing disorders are found; Whether the oral cavity is painful, ulcer, bleeding or any discomfort; Whether any nodules, lumps or edema are found in the oral cavity; If you wear dentures or other devices, the doctor will also ask about the wearing time and feeling.
If you want to do an examination, will you check some what?
- Face and neck: whether there is skin injury, ulcer or lymph node enlargement; Occlusal conditions: whether the tooth opening and closing process is smooth, whether there is noise in temporomandibular joint, and whether the bite is normal; Lymph nodes and salivary glands: swelling or nodules; Inside the oral cavity: including whether there is infection, inflammation, ulcer or trauma in the tongue, sublingual, soft palate and hard palate; Teeth: whether they have been repaired, whether there are dental caries, stones, plaque, cracks, etc.; Gums: whether gums shrink, whether there is inflammation, etc.
If you wear dentures or other devices, the doctor will also check whether there is discomfort, injury, inflammation, etc. in the area near the dentures, and check the condition of the dentures and other devices themselves.