AN INTERVIEW ABOUT DENTITION CARE AND DENTAL HYGIENE FOR SENIORS

The medallion of Jasněna Matoušková

Dental hygienist Mgr. Jasněna Matoušková, N.A., as well as a reviewer of the Association of Dental Hygienisto of the Czech Republic (ADH ČR). She has graduated from the Pedagogical Faculty of Charles University as a special pedagogist. Her specialization in dental hygiene has been acquired by studying at Private Higher Medical School for dental hygienists in Prague. She currently works in dental offices Duostom in Kladno and Orthopoint in Prague 6.

1. Can you tell us the number of products you yourself use for brushing teeth?

If I include toothpaste to the number, then it is five.

I consider a soft flat trim toothbrush with a small head as a basic tool. Something, I cannot imagine daily teeth cleaning is the use of Interdental brushes. This is often neglected by people, even though it plays an important role in prevention of the formation of tooth cavities, inflammations, and paradontitis. An interspace toothbrush or the solo toothbrush is very effective as well. This toothbrush allows to properly clean out less reachable and complicated spaces between your teeth. I have a dental implant, because I have lost a tooth 15 years ago and it is important to take care of it too. And so the fourth tool is a special fleece floss so called superloss, which I use to clean the areas around the implant. I also recommend this to the patients as an effective tool to clean spaces between the last molars, as those are difficult to clean.

Toothpaste is just a pleasant addition, but when I am choosing one, I try to pick one with the least amount of harmful substances.

2. What about society (meaning the 18+ age group)? Is just a toothbrush from an ad enough?

As I have already suggested in my previous answer, the most important thing when brushing my teeth is the proper selection of mechanical tools, a classic toothbrush and the daily use of Interdental brushes. Brushing one’s teeth is nothing but a patient’s ability to remove the plaque off of all the parts of a tooth. Of course, the correct cleaning technique and often the correct grip of a brush are important. Dental hygiene is a relatively young field in the Czech Republic, which is slowly becoming popular and is finding its place in a preventive health care. Many patients who undergo dental hygiene (instructions and motivation for proper teeth cleaning, removal of plaque and calculus) and take a responsible approach to their oral health are then pleasantly surprised when visiting the dentist for a regular check ups. Gum bleeding, their sensitivity disappear, tooth decay decreases, periodontal conditions of the teeth stabilize.

3. If we take a look at seniors, a big majority of them uses dental prosthesis. Can you tell us how to take care of it?

Anyone using a dental prosthesis should be able to take care of it properly because it will protect it from damage and at the same time maintain its good appearance. At the same time, they should care for the health of their mouth and gums. I do not recommend cleaning your prosthesis with toothpaste because it contains abrasive substances, which could scratch the surface. These scratches will allow the bacteria to adhere to the surface, remain on it and cause disorders of the soft tissue of the oral cavity. Therefore, it is necessary to wash the prosthesis daily, preferably by a classic medium-hard brush, from all sides. It is then advisable to place the prosthesis in a warm cleaning solution. A lot of tablets for the treatment of dental prostheses is available on the market. After removing the prosthesis from the solution, a good rinse is needed and it should secured with a fixative cream or powder when deployed. If the prosthesis is removed, it should be kept in water so that is does not dry out. Something I would like to emphasize are regular visits of a dentist. Despite the missing dentition, it is necessary to check the condition and functionality of the dental replacement, but also the mucous membranes of the oral cavity.