Has a senior confided in you that their mouth is so dry and sore that it hurts when they are eating or talking? Or maybe sometimes they wake up in the middle of the night feeling like they are chewing crackers.
If this describes their experience, they might be suffering from dry mouth, also known as xerostomia. But I’m just going to call it dry mouth in this article.
Let me ask you this: When was the last time you saw a senior on your favorite TV show? I don’t know about you, but I can hardly remember when I did.
We live in a society that worships youth. If you open any magazine, look at billboards, or watch TV shows, you will see young faces.
Unfortunately, this reality is reflected in employment. It seems like everyone is looking to hire an 18-year-old with 20 years of experience, which is ridiculous when you think about it.
We are living in exciting times. When I started practicing as a dental hygienist decades ago, we had to meet and interact with patients in person. But Covid-19 changed all of that.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but, something good has come from the pandemic. Teledentistry is finally being embraced! Dental professionals are examining their patients virtually. This includes using high-definition video to look into their mouths.
As the Geriatric Toothfairy, I have seen seniors face a great deal of oral neglect. I’ve seen rotten teeth and mouths that had not been
