Oral Health For Adults


Good oral health includes the whole mouth – teeth, gums, tongue and lips. Good oral health will help you to eat speak and socialise without pain discomfort or embarrassment and will improve your overall health and wellbeing.

Adults can experience challenges with looking after their mouth for a variety of reasons, it is important to establish trust with the individual by asking open questions and understanding what matters to them. It is ok to give them the power to decide if they are looking for a short-term solution to get them out of pain (e.g. tooth extraction) or if they would like support to become a routine patient with a high street dentist.

There are groups of adults who are an oral health priority which includes adults with additional care needs, people experiencing homelessness, drug experience, people within the criminal justice service and dependant older people.
Ask:

What does toothbrushing look like for you? 
 
How often do you brush your teeth?

Do you have any problems with your mouth?

Do you manage to clean your mouth well?
 

Assist:
 
Which toothbrush and toothpaste?
Use a toothbrush with a small head and soft bristles.

Use toothpaste containing at least 1,000 parts per million (ppm) fluoride.

 
When to brush:

Brush teeth and gums at least twice daily, in the morning and last thing at night with a fluoride toothpaste.

It is preferable to wait at least 30 minutes following eating or drinking, however we appreciate this is not always possible, it is always better to brush your teeth than not.

Establishing a routine is key.

 
Amount and frequency of sugar:

Every time sugar is eaten, it causes an acid attack. There is generally some level of sugar present in every meal (i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner). Therefore, if food and drinks containing sugar are only consumed at mealtimes, this will limit the number of acid attacks on the teeth. However, if a person continues to snack on food and drinks containing sugar between meals, they will have more acid attacks and therefore increase their chances of developing tooth decay.
 
Denture care:

Clean your dentures every morning and night using a toothbrush and denture cream or plain soap and water.

Rinse your dentures after every meal
 
Attending the dentist:

It is important to look after your teeth every day so when you visit the dentist there is little or no treatment required. Visit your dentist regularly.

 

Act:

Review the links throughout to familiarise yourself with oral care and referral pathways into care.

Contact the Oral Health Improvement Team / Childsmile for oral health advice, training and support via tay.oralhealth@nhs.scot.

If you have a patient with mouth pain Click here


 
Further Information: (links to websites, local support etc.)

Mouth care leaflet for adults: Keep smiling: Better oral care for everyone - Publications - Public Health Scotland

Details of Tayside Dental Services: NHS Tayside Website - Dental Services

NHS Inform: Taking care of your oral health | NHS inform

Adult Oral Health Improvement Programmes: Oral Health Improvement – Scottish Dental