Dental and Oral Health (Seniors)

Common Signs of Dental Disease and Dry Mouth

Signs of Dental Disease

If the older adult is not brushing or flossing, and there seems to be no physical limitation to prevent this, perhaps tooth decay or gum disease is present. If the individual is able to cognitively understand your questions, ask if they are having mouth pain. Some indications of tooth or gum pain can be:

Picture of periodontal disease (courtesy of Case School of Dental Medicine)

Picture of periodontal disease (courtesy of Case School of Dental Medicine)

Verbal complaints or visible expressions of pain
Visible tooth decay
Persistent bad breath
Stained teeth
Filmy or dull looking teeth
Bleeding gums
Swelling in the mouth
Difficulty chewing
Not eating
Dentures are not in the mouth
Dentures that don't appear to fit
Loose teeth

If the person has Alzheimer's or another form of dementia, he or she may not be able to tell you that there is pain. Caregivers - wearing protective gloves and if necessary, a surgical mask - can carefully examine the individual's mouth for some of the following signs:

Visible tooth decay
Filmy or dull looking teeth
Bleeding gums
Red or swollen gums
Loose teeth
Dry or cracked lips
Mouth or tongue sores
Dentures that don't appear to fit

Gum Disease

Caregivers can check the mouth of an older adult for visible signs of bleeding, red or swollen gums - common indications that a dentist should be consulted.

(Photo courtesy of OSU Section of Periodontology)

Dry Mouth

An older adult can experience problems with the teeth and gums (which can lead to or worsen tooth decay or gum disease) for many reasons.

Dry mouth - Constant or frequent dry mouth can be uncomfortable and can increase the chance of tooth decay and infections of the mouth. Over 400 common prescription and over-the-counter drugs are known to cause dry mouth. Sjogren Syndrome and some cancer therapies can also cause this.

Symptoms of dry mouth can be:

mouth feels sticky and/or dry
lack of saliva
burning mouth
saliva that feels thick or stringy
tongue is rough and dry
cracked lips and/or sores
mouth infection
difficulty chewing, swallowing or talking
increased plaque
bad breath
loose dentures

Pills A solution would be to check with your prescribing physician (or pharmacist for over-the-counter products) to see if medication(s) may be causing or contributing to dry mouth. The medication or dose may be changed to help ease the dry mouth. Also, ask about artificial saliva products.

Other tips are:

Avoid caffeine.
Avoid tobacco or alcohol.
Drink plenty of water or sugar-free beverages.
Suck on sugar-free candies or chew sugar-free gum.

Published with permission from Smiles For Seniors ... an oral health initiative of the Ohio Dental Association.

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Last Reviewed: Apr 14, 2011

Abdel Rahim Mohammad, DDS, MS, MPH, FAAOM, FACD
Clinical Professor of Geriatrics
College of Dentistry
The Ohio State University