Dry mouth from medicines
Many common medicines reduce saliva as a side effect, including some taken for blood pressure, depression, allergies and bladder control, and the more medicines someone takes, the more likely a dry mouth becomes.
Saliva is the mouth's own protection. It rinses away food, neutralizes acid and helps repair early weak spots in the enamel, so less of it means more decay. Tell us every medicine you take, and talk to your physician before stopping any of them, because there are ways to protect your teeth instead: fluoride, water sipped through the day, sugar-free gum or lozenges, and products made for a dry mouth.
Decay on the roots of teeth
When gums recede, with age or after gum disease, the roots of the teeth are left exposed. Roots have no enamel over them, so they decay more easily than the rest of the tooth, and a dry mouth makes that more likely again.
Root decay often starts along the gum line or at the edge of an old filling or crown, and it may not hurt at first, which is why we look for it at every exam. Fluoride, painted on at a cleaning and in your toothpaste every day, helps protect exposed roots, and so does careful brushing along the gum line.
Gum disease and your general health
Gum disease rarely hurts until it is well along, and its signs are easy to put down to age: gums that bleed or pull back, bad breath, teeth that look longer or feel loose. The hygienist measures your gums at every cleaning, so a change is caught while it is small.
Gum disease is linked with other health conditions, most clearly diabetes, and each tends to make the other harder to control. If you have diabetes, tell us. If we find gum disease, treatment starts with a deep cleaning under local anesthetic, followed by cleanings every 3 to 4 months.
Dentures, relines and implants
If you wear dentures, full or partial, keep coming in for check-ups. The bone under a denture slowly shrinks, so a denture that fitted well at the start gradually loosens. We reline dentures here: a new layer is added to the underside so it fits your gums as they are now. Sometimes a new denture is the better answer, and we will tell you which.
For a lower denture that will not stay put, a small number of implants can anchor it so it clips in and stops moving. An implant-retained denture needs enough bone, which we check first. Being older does not by itself rule implants out. What matters is your general health, the bone and the medicines you take, and we will talk those through with you.
Oral cancer screening, with or without teeth
The risk of oral cancer rises with age, and every exam here includes an oral cancer screening, whether or not you have natural teeth. It takes about a minute. If you wear a denture, we will ask you to take it out so we can see the tissue underneath.
Between visits, show us any sore, patch or lump that has not healed in two weeks, and any spot where a denture has started to rub.
Does Medicare cover dental care?
Original Medicare, Parts A and B, generally does not cover routine dental care such as cleanings, fillings and dentures. We work with many of the newer Medicare Advantage dental benefits. They vary a great deal from plan to plan, so call with your plan details and we will check what yours covers here before you book.
For other dental plans, see insurance for the ones we work with. With no dental coverage at all, the Virginia Dental Club is a membership plan worth a look. It is not insurance, so there is no deductible, no annual maximum and no waiting period.
Making visits easier
The office is a single-story building at 300 Tazewell Street in Pearisburg, with parking at the door. If arthritis or a weak grip makes brushing hard, tell us: an electric brush, a brush with a thicker handle or small brushes between the teeth can make it easier, and the hygienist can show you what works in your hands.
Bring an up-to-date list of your medicines to each visit, because blood thinners, bone-strengthening medicines and some diabetes medicines all change how we plan treatment. If a family member helps with your medicines or appointments, it can help to bring them along.
Questions patients ask
Does Medicare pay for dental care?
Original Medicare, Parts A and B, generally does not cover routine dental care. We work with many of the newer Medicare Advantage dental benefits, which vary from plan to plan, so call with your plan details and we will check yours.
Am I too old for dental implants?
Age on its own does not usually rule implants out. What matters is your general health, whether there is enough bone, and the medicines you take, and we check all three first. For some people, a well-made denture is still the better answer.
Why is my mouth so dry?
Medicines are a common cause, because many of them reduce saliva as a side effect. A dry mouth raises the risk of decay, so tell us what you take. We can suggest ways to protect your teeth, and your physician can say whether a medicine could be changed.
My denture has gotten loose. Do I need a new one?
Not necessarily. Often a reline is all it needs: the underside is refitted to your gums as they are now, and we reline dentures here. If the denture itself is worn or cracked, a new one may be better, and we will tell you which.