Oral Health Tips
What Can Adults Do to Maintain Good Oral Health?
You can keep your teeth for your lifetime. Here are some things you can do to maintain a healthy mouth and strong teeth.
- Drink fluoridated water and brush with fluoride toothpaste.
- Practice good oral hygiene. Brush teeth thoroughly and floss between the teeth to remove dental plaque.
- Visit your dentist on a regular basis, even if you have no natural teeth or have dentures.
- Do not use any tobacco products. If you smoke, quit.
- Limit alcoholic drinks.
- If you have diabetes, work to maintain control of the disease. This will decrease risk for other complications, including gum disease.
- If your medication causes dry mouth, ask your doctor for a different medication that may not cause this condition. If dry mouth cannot be avoided, drink plenty of water, chew sugarless gum, and avoid tobacco products and alcohol.
- See your doctor or a dentist if you have sudden changes in taste and smell.
- When acting as a caregiver, help older individuals brush and floss their teeth if they are not able to perform these activities independently.
Additional Resources
- CDC: Tips From Former Smokers
- CDC: Managing Diabetes
- Working Together to Manage Diabetes: A Toolkit for Pharmacy, Podiatry, Optometry, and Dentistry (PPOD)
- National Institutes of Health: Chemotherapy and Your Mouth
- National Institute on Aging: Taking Care of Your Teeth and Mouth
- Oral Health America: Caregivers and Health: Do You Know How to Keep Aging Mouths Healthy? quiz
- Page last reviewed: July 13, 2016
- Page last updated: October 28, 2016
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