{"id":645,"date":"2026-07-01T19:04:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T19:04:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/?p=645"},"modified":"2026-07-01T19:04:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T19:04:58","slug":"dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Teeth Are Aging Too: Dental Hygiene Tips for Older Adults"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246.jpg\" alt=\"Older patients smiling while performing dental hygiene\" class=\"wp-image-647\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.2739019774195655;width:298px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>With age comes change\u2014and that\u2019s true whether you\u2019re talking about your life, your body, or your smile. Taking care of your teeth as a senior looks a little different than it did in your 30s or 40s. However, with the right habits and a little extra attention, you can keep your smile clean, healthy, and strong well into your golden years. Keep reading to learn how your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/general--family-dentistry.html\">oral health<\/a> changes over time and find dental hygiene tips to keep your teeth pristine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Aging Creates Unique Challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As the years go by, dental health gets more complicated for several reasons. For one, gum tissue naturally recedes over time, exposing more of the tooth root and increasing sensitivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enamel wears down from decades of use, making your teeth more vulnerable to decay. Dry mouth is also a problem\u2014a common side effect of many medications taken by older adults. With saliva production reduced, your mouth&#8217;s main defense against bacteria is put out of commission. Additionally, arthritis and reduced dexterity can make brushing and flossing physically harder to do effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips to Keep Your Smile Healthy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A simple change in your routine can make all the difference for your smile. Here are a few helpful tips to keep your oral health in top shape:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stay on Top of Dry Mouth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If dry mouth is an issue, drink plenty of water throughout the day and chew sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva. &nbsp;You can also ask your dentist about prescription-strength fluoride or saliva substitutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Switch to a Softer Toothbrush<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A soft-bristled toothbrush is gentler on receding gums and worn enamel. If grip is a challenge due to arthritis, try an electric one! These are especially helpful since they do most of the work for you, and many have built-in timers, so you know when the deed is done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don&#8217;t Skip Flossing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Flossing becomes even more important as gum recession creates more space for bacteria to hide. If traditional floss is difficult to manage, floss picks or a water flosser are fantastic, easy-to-use alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Watch for Changes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As time goes by, the risk of oral cancer, gum disease, and root decay rises with age. If you notice any sores that don&#8217;t heal, lingering sensitivity, or changes in how your teeth or dentures feel, talk to your dentist. Catching issues early on will keep them small and manageable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dental health isn\u2019t complicated, but aging can offer new challenges moving forward. With good habits, a willing attitude, and a great dentist at your side, you can smile your best for many, many years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/meet-dr-hajdari.html\">Dr. Ed Hajdari<\/a> brings more than two decades of dental experience to patients at Blanco Circle Dental Care. A member of the Academy of General Dentistry with advanced training at the Tanaka Institute in full-mouth reconstruction and TMJ therapy, he\u2019s committed to personalized, whole-patient care at every stage of life. Give our office a call at (831) 422-7838 to get started with a friendly consultation.<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With age comes change\u2014and that\u2019s true whether you\u2019re talking about your life, your body, or your smile. Taking care of your teeth as a senior looks a little different than it did in your 30s or 40s. However, with the right habits and a little extra attention, you can keep your smile clean, healthy, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Dental Hygiene Tips For Older Adults | Blanco Circle Dental Care<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Aging creates challenges for dental hygiene. Here are practical tips to help seniors maintain a healthy smile through every stage of life.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dental Hygiene Tips For Older Adults | Blanco Circle Dental Care\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Aging creates challenges for dental hygiene. Here are practical tips to help seniors maintain a healthy smile through every stage of life.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blanco Circle Dental Care Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-01T19:04:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-01T19:04:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"533\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"klugman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"klugman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"klugman\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/95911835817a7fa4d7161a63069b9d88\"},\"headline\":\"Your Teeth Are Aging Too: Dental Hygiene Tips for Older Adults\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-01T19:04:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-01T19:04:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":515,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\\\/\",\"name\":\"Dental Hygiene Tips For Older Adults | Blanco Circle Dental Care\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-01T19:04:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-01T19:04:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/95911835817a7fa4d7161a63069b9d88\"},\"description\":\"Aging creates challenges for dental hygiene. Here are practical tips to help seniors maintain a healthy smile through every stage of life.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Your Teeth Are Aging Too: Dental Hygiene Tips for Older Adults\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Blanco Circle Dental Care Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/95911835817a7fa4d7161a63069b9d88\",\"name\":\"klugman\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/60fae2e367de3e155255862b818d8350dbbd6704d320c233ce35d5e85291bd07?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/60fae2e367de3e155255862b818d8350dbbd6704d320c233ce35d5e85291bd07?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/60fae2e367de3e155255862b818d8350dbbd6704d320c233ce35d5e85291bd07?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"klugman\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.salinasdental.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/klugman\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dental Hygiene Tips For Older Adults | Blanco Circle Dental Care","description":"Aging creates challenges for dental hygiene. Here are practical tips to help seniors maintain a healthy smile through every stage of life.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dental Hygiene Tips For Older Adults | Blanco Circle Dental Care","og_description":"Aging creates challenges for dental hygiene. Here are practical tips to help seniors maintain a healthy smile through every stage of life.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/","og_site_name":"Blanco Circle Dental Care Blog","article_published_time":"2026-07-01T19:04:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-01T19:04:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":533,"url":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"klugman","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"klugman","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/"},"author":{"name":"klugman","@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/95911835817a7fa4d7161a63069b9d88"},"headline":"Your Teeth Are Aging Too: Dental Hygiene Tips for Older Adults","datePublished":"2026-07-01T19:04:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-01T19:04:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/"},"wordCount":515,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/","url":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/","name":"Dental Hygiene Tips For Older Adults | Blanco Circle Dental Care","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-01T19:04:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-01T19:04:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/95911835817a7fa4d7161a63069b9d88"},"description":"Aging creates challenges for dental hygiene. Here are practical tips to help seniors maintain a healthy smile through every stage of life.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AdobeStock_756330811__1781211353_49246.jpg","width":800,"height":533},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/dental-hygiene-tips-for-older-adults\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Your Teeth Are Aging Too: Dental Hygiene Tips for Older Adults"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/","name":"Blanco Circle Dental Care Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/95911835817a7fa4d7161a63069b9d88","name":"klugman","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60fae2e367de3e155255862b818d8350dbbd6704d320c233ce35d5e85291bd07?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60fae2e367de3e155255862b818d8350dbbd6704d320c233ce35d5e85291bd07?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/60fae2e367de3e155255862b818d8350dbbd6704d320c233ce35d5e85291bd07?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"klugman"},"url":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/author\/klugman\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=645"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":649,"href":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645\/revisions\/649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salinasdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}