Call (916) 872-9000 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Call (916) 872-9000 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

10 Ways to Keep a Healthy Smile as You Age

Posted by Joe DeMeo, November 21, 2017

Many people assume that no matter what they do, their teeth and gums will deteriorate as they grow older. But that isn’t necessarily true! As with the rest of your body, you can take steps to protect your dental health and age gracefully.

Daily care is important. Continue to brush and floss at least twice daily. Cleaning your teeth after each meal would be even better. Try an electric toothbrush, as it is likely to thoroughly clean your teeth and gums better than a traditional toothbrush.

Be gentle. Cleaning should be thorough, but that doesn’t mean rough! Use a soft bristled toothbrush, and floss gently to avoid damaging your gums.

Use mouthwash once per day. But avoid formulas that contain alcohol, as they can excessively dry your mouth.

Stop smoking. Smoking can contribute to tooth decay, receding gums, gum disease, and oral cancer. It’s never too late to quit, and you can still reap some health benefits by doing so.

Report side effects from medications. Some side effects of common medications can be damaging to your dental health. For example, dry mouth can cause plaque to stick to your teeth more easily. Remember to talk to your doctor if you experience side effects from any medication, no matter how minor they might seem.

Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated can prevent dry mouth, and protect your teeth and gums in numerous ways.

Avoid sugary drinks. Sugar increases acidity in your mouth, destroys tooth enamel, and can lead to cavities.

Chew (sugarless gum) after meals. Chewing gum helps your mouth to produce more saliva, which combats plaque buildup on teeth.

Clean your dentures every day. Even if you’ve replaced your natural teeth with dentures, you could still experience gum disease. Cleaning your dentures daily can ward off infections.

Visit your dentist regularly. Attend twice-annual appointments for cleaning and a checkup. Most serious problems can be prevented, or at least more easily treated, when caught early.

Need more information on your insurance options?

Contact us online to learn more

Contact Us

Close Accessibility Tools
Accessibility Controls Reset
Content Adjustments
Font Size

Default

Line Height

Default

Content Scaling

Default

Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Highlight Forms
Align Left
Align Center
Align Right
Focus Mode
Color Adjustments
Desaturate
Monochrome
Contrast

Default

Saturation

Default

Accessibility Statement

Despite our attempts to make this website accessible for everyone, there may still be some pages or sections that are not completely accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or do not have a suitable technological solution to make them accessible. Nevertheless, we are always striving to enhance our accessibility by adding, updating, improving its options and features, and incorporating new technologies.

We want to provide our users with the best experience possible, so we strive to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible.

If you wish to contact this website's owner, please use the contact form on the website.

Our User Interface Adjustment Options

Font adjustments - With this tool, users can modify font size, style, letter spacing, and line height for improved alignment and readability.

Color adjustments - Users can customize their color contrast profiles to light, dark, desaturated, and monochrome.

Content highlighting - Users can prioritize key elements such as links, forms, and titles.

Content focus - Users can enable focus mode to highlight the current page information based on their mouse movement.

Close