As you and your loved ones age, your dental health cannot go neglected. Unfortunately, many older adults suffer from oral health problems, ranging from gum disease to tooth loss. To combat the pressing dental health problem that many adults in their golden years experience, assisted living communities in Woodbridge, SC have been proactively making dental care resources more accessible to their residents. Here’s why dental care is such an important assisted living service.
Keeping Oral Health Risk Factors at Bay
When one ages, they experience a greater likelihood of different oral health risks including tooth decay, gum disease, and even oral cancer. In fact, research has shown that approximately two in every three adults aged 65 years and above suffer from a form of gum disease. Assisted living communities take a highly responsible attitude toward maintaining residents’ health, which is why residents are strongly encouraged to have regular dental checkups to maintain their oral health. Furthermore, residents in assisted living communities are given an abundant amount of resources such as a concierge team to help them book dental appointments as well as transportation services to get them to the clinic on time.
Ensuring Higher Quality of Life
Assisted living is all about ensuring residents better health and quality of life in their golden years, which good dental health also contributes to. Hence, residents in assisted living communities are frequently encouraged to practice good dental hygiene as well as a healthy diet. Furthermore, assisted living caregivers are also experienced in supporting residents who are physically unable to perform routine dental hygiene tasks such as regular brushing and flossing by themselves. By assisting residents with their dental hygiene routines, they can enjoy a higher quality of life without suffering from poor self-esteem due to concerns about their dental hygiene.
Guidance Through Tooth Loss
Almost one in every five adults 65 years and above have lost all of their teeth, and this problem becomes even more prevalent in those aged 75 and above. Thankfully, there is a wide variety of dental prosthesis devices available on the market, which can help improve a retiree’s quality of life as well as their confidence in day-to-day living. At an assisted living community, the caregivers can extend their help in ensuring residents are consistently following aftercare measures for their dental prostheses, such as dental implants or dentures.
Preventing Other Health Conditions
Protecting one’s oral health doesn’t just stop at maintaining a beautiful smile. For instance, oral cancers such as oral or pharyngeal cancer are most usually diagnosed in older adults in their retirement ages, with the median age at diagnosis being around 62 years. Hence, dental care becomes more important than ever when an adult reaches their retirement years. During an oral checkup, an assisted living community resident can have conditions such as tooth decay and gum disease detected as early as possible, nipping those problems in the bud before they develop into more serious issues such as inflammation and heart disease.
Are you looking for assisted living options for yourself or a loved one? Consider taking a look at our retirement community’s Assisted Living services here in Spartanburg, SC.
