Life is short.  Smile while you still have teeth. – Anonymous

Yesterday, I spent 3 hours at the dentist’s office getting 2 new crowns. Apparently I have dry mouth, which can cause cavities, and is very common in People with Parkinson’s and in older people in general.

But dry mouth isn’t the only problem many of us have when taking care of our teeth. Just holding a toothbrush and flossing correctly become difficult for many of us. Eating sweets late at night doesn’t help either, but I will ignore that one for now.

Coincidentally, the Parkinson’s Social Network in Virginia had a webinar this morning with Dr. Rick Jackomis about dental health and Parkinson’s. The presentation was very good. He confirmed much of what my dentist told me yesterday. So here are a few things that you can do to keep those cavities away.

You don’t have to brush your teeth – just the ones you want to keep. — Author Unknown

Some of the dental issues with people with PD are:

1. Inability to hold toothbrush – the Oral B electic toothbrush with the round heads was recommended if you have this problem. You might also try using a Waterpik.
2. Flossing – this has become a problem for me because it is difficult to manuever the dental floss when your hands don’t cooperate. I have tried the hand-held flossers but I don’t think they do a very good job. My dentist agreed with me on this.
3. Dry mouth – use Biotene morning and night and inbetween when you need it. It comes in both a spray and a rinse.
4. Rinse your mouth with Listerine at night before you go to bed to kill off any bacteria in your mouth. Stay away from the sweet stuff after that, no matter how tempting it is.
5. Try to make your dental appointments for the time of day when you know your meds are ON! I went in the morning yesterday, when my symptoms are not the best, and I shook for 3 hours! I was exhausted when I got home and couldn’t wait to take a nap and recover. The next appointment is in the afternoon when I my symptoms are better controlled.
6. Sitting still while your dentist is drilling in your mouth. Make sure your dentist understands that you cannot keep your mouth open for very long and that lying flat for a long time while she works in your mouth is a problem for you.

The webinar was recorded, so if you are having dental health issues, watch it here.

Do you have any tips to share about dental health and going to the dentist? Please reply in the comments below.

Have a great week!

And smile

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