Adult Oral Health

Maintain Regular Dental Visits

Maintain Regular Dental Visits 

Visit a dental professional at least once per year or more often as recommended. Your dental professional will:  

• Examine teeth and gums 
• Perform routine dental cleanings to remove plaque and buildup  
• Take x-rays, as needed 
• Check for mouth cancer or other potential oral health issues 
• Provide dental treatment and oral health education 

Contact a dental professional if you have questions or notice anything unusual.  

Restoration 

See your dental professional if you need to restore your teeth to have a healthy mouth. Your dental professional can restore your natural teeth, place bridgework or implants, or fit your denture or partial denture.

Having healthy teeth, well-fitting dentures, or partial dentures are important to be able to eat healthy foods, rather than starches and sugary foods and drinks, and to be able to chew carefully to avoid choking.  

You should brush teeth twice a day, after breakfast and before bedtime for at least two minutes to help prevent tooth decay and gum disease.   

• Amount of Toothpaste to Use: A pea-sized amount. Adults should spit out the toothpaste, but adults do not need to rinse their mouth with clean water. Toothpaste that stays on the teeth can help prevent tooth decay. 
• Flossing: You should floss once a day when teeth start touching each other. Floss in between each tooth that touches another tooth. The floss should glide between the teeth and create a C shape with the floss to hug the tooth without injuring the gum. Raise the floss up slightly and form the C shape for the other tooth that touches.  
• Removal Denture or Partial Denture Care: Clean dentures and removable appliance outside the mouth by soaking and brushing them in denture cleaner or a solution of vinegar and water. Using toothpaste on dentures or removable appliances can cause scratching, pitting, and increased staining in the acrylic. 

Proper toothbrushing and flossing will limit potential risks of gingivitis and periodontal disease.  

• Gingivitis is the first stage of periodontal disease, and it is a condition that causes inflammation of the gums, bone loss, tooth loss, and affects other organs of the body.  
• Periodontal disease makes it difficult to control blood sugar which affects conditions, such as diabetes. Individuals with periodontal disease have a two to three times the risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or other serious cardiovascular events.  

Healthy Food Options

Eat healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, dairy products, lean meats, fish, eggs, and beans. 

• Women over age 50 should consume 1,200 mg of calcium daily due to bone mass changes during and after menopause. Natural sources of calcium are best, but your provider may encourage calcium supplements if you are not able to get enough in your diet. 
• Adults ages 19-50 and men over age 50 should consume 1,000 mg of calcium daily to keep bones and teeth healthy 

Limit Sugary Drinks and Food Items

Many foods or beverages have extra sugar and syrups added to them when they are processed or prepared. These added sugars have many different names, such as brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, molasses, raw sugar, and sucrose.   

How often sugar is consumed is important for teeth. Frequent sugar sweetened drinks and snacks between meals can increase the risk of cavities (tooth decay).    

• Drink water during the day, instead of juice, sugar sweetened drinks, or soda.   
• Limit intake of sweets like cookies, crackers, candy, gummies, dried fruits, ice cream, and cake. Eating sweets or drinking sweetened beverages leads to more tooth decay.
• Limit sticky foods like dried fruits, granola bars, fruit roll-ups, fruit gummies, and chewing gum.
• Limit starchy foods like chips, crackers, and pretzels.

Read Nutrition Labels

Many foods now list added sugar separately. You can find added sugar by reading the ingredients.  

Go Fresh and Limit Processed, Pre-Packed Foods and Drinks 

Sugar is often added to pre-packed food and drinks while they are being made or at the table.  

For example, there are hidden sources of added sugar in processed foods like ketchup, dried cranberries, salad dressing, and baked beans. Satisfy your sweet tooth with whole fruit.  

Hydration and Dry Mouth Prevention

Sip water throughout the day, avoid drinks with caffeine, tobacco products, and alcohol as they make your mouth dry. 

Several conditions and medications, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, allergies, asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, dehydration, Sjogren’s syndrome, HIV/AIDS, cancer, radiation, chemotherapy, can be a cause of dry mouth.

Make sure you drink plenty of water to help with dry mouth and prevent tooth decay. Your dental health professional can prescribe medications or rinses to assist with dry mouth. 

Vitamin D supports bones and healthy teeth, by helping the body absorb and keep enough calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D also plays a role in the immune system.  

• Having low levels of vitamin D in adults are associated with higher cavity rates.  
• Adults with an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency, such as those taking certain medications or chronic diseases such as cystic fibrosis, may need higher doses of vitamin D. 

Skin characteristics in adults can affect the vitamin D that their body makes. In particular, the pigment in skin is an important factor to consider; darker skinned people manufacture less vitamin D than those whose skin is lighter.  

Getting Enough Vitamin D

Adults should receive a supplement containing 600 IU of vitamin D if they are not receiving this amount through their diet, and adults over 70 years should receive 800 IU of vitamin D.

Consult with your health care provider to ensure you are getting enough vitamin D, as there are many medications that interact with Vitamin D. 

Natural Sources

• Food that contains vitamin D include salmon, sardines, tuna, mackerel, shitake mushrooms, and hard-boiled eggs. 
• Enriched foods are another way to increase the vitamin D in the diet. Look for foods fortified with vitamin D such as milk, cereal, orange juice, and yogurt. 
• Vitamin D is also made by the body with the sun’s ultraviolet rays. When exposed to sunlight, the ultraviolet rays help the body synthesize vitamin D in the skin. And it doesn’t take much time in the sun to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D.  

Not all adults get enough sunlight, particularly during certain times of the year or in northern regions of the U.S. Dense cloud covers and high levels of air pollution can reduce the ultraviolet rays reaching the skin. 

Exercise and spend time outside to improve or maintain good overall health. Wearing a mouth guard along with any other recommended protective equipment when playing sports or informal recreational activities.  

• If an adult tooth is knocked out, pick the tooth up by the white part, not touching the root.   
• If the tooth is dirty, rinse it gently with milk, salt water, or your saliva and attempt to place it immediately back in its original position.   
• Once the tooth is back in its original position, have bite gently on a clean gauze, a handkerchief, or napkin to hold it in place.  
• If the tooth cannot be placed back in its original position right away, store the tooth in milk, your saliva, or at least water.  
• The tooth can then be brought with you to the dentist, urgent care, or emergency room.  

See a dentist as soon as possible if you injure a tooth or have a severe injury to your gums, lips, or jaws.   

Tobacco and nicotine products expose people to harmful chemicals that can cause cancers of the lip, cheeks, gums, lungs, and other parts of the body. 

Tobacco and nicotine products (e.g., cigarettes, e-cigarettes/vapes, oral pouches, etc.) can increase the risk of severe gum disease, inflammation, dry mouth, tooth decay, plaque, buildup, and temporary loss of taste, as well as other effects. 

If you use tobacco or nicotine products, now’s the time to quit.

Consuming alcohol, especially for individuals that consume a heavy or moderate amount, can negatively impact oral health: 

• Alcohol causes dehydration, which decreases the production of saliva. Your mouth utilizes saliva to wash away food debris and neutralize acids. When a mouth is dry (not enough saliva), the risk of tooth decay, gingivitis, and periodontal disease can increase. 
• Many alcoholic beverages contain high amounts of sugar and acid that can weaken tooth enamel and lead to tooth decay.  
• Heavy alcohol consumption can weaken the immune system, making it harder to fight off germ and infections as periodontitis (characterized by bleeding gums, plaque, gum recession, infection, etc.). 
• Alcohol increases the risk of oral cancer, stains teeth, and can lead to dental injuries from impaired motor skills. 
• Excessive alcohol use is a significant risk factor for oral, tongue, and throat cancers. The body changes ethanol in alcohol to acetaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent. The risk is even greater when combined with tobacco use. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol dependency, Florida has resources to support long-term recovery.