Elder Dental Hygiene

As I take care of the dental needs of those who can no longer get into the dental office, I am continually amazed by their caregivers.....whether they be family, friends or outside help. Caregivers....you are truly unique and offer a gift that the recipient may not even be aware they are getting....while others are overwhelmingly appreciative. Here is a SHOUT OUT to all Caregivers.....Thank you for what you do and God bless each and every one of you.

Had a visit with my patient Sally and her daughter June and also had a visit with their "batch" of kittens. I don't usually get to have kittens around me when I'm cleaning a patient's teeth....it is usually a dog or two . But this group made for a very interesting dental appointment....for all of us!!! I only managed to corral three of them.

Just another perk of seeing my senior patients. Thanks to Charlie at "A Place Called Home" in Indio!

ElderDental Hygiene wishes a Merry Christmas to all patients
and their families and their caregivers!

On our way back to the desert from the Dugoni School of Dentistry after completing the ITR Clinical....now I can place fillings!! BIG thank you to my friend Paula for being my patient and Dr. Bullock for being my mentor!! It was a great day!

This is a warning and an alert!! I have been working with facility and home-bound patients for six years and have seen people really struggle with dental care and with home care and their situations were made more dramatic if they had not had good care earlier in their lives (esp in their 50's, 60's and 70's). Call today for a dental cleaning....you just can't get your teeth cleaned too often!!

The second best thing about getting to see some of my patients in their home (after first seeing the patient of course!) is seeing their dogs! Meet Samira...such a lovable girl.

ElderDental Hygiene has been busy this week taking care of the dental needs of seniors all over the Coachella Valley....Atria Palm Desert, Brookdale Rancho Mirage and The Palms in LaQuinta. The dental needs of your loved one don't stop when they enter a facility....make sure their teeth are clean! Call for an appointment....760-641-9099

In Home Physical Therapy. As I was leaving a patient's house today, I meet Gina Malloy a physical therapist who will come to your home and help with mobility, balance or even design an aquatic therapy program for you. So great to meet another mobile professional who is trying to help those who struggle with transport issues. And she is originally from OH...my neck of the woods...only across the stateline into PA!

News Flash....ElderDental Hygiene has just added digital x-ray and intra-imaging services that it offers to patients. No need anymore to arrange for transport for our Seniors just to get an x-ray taken. All dentists will want an x-ray of any tooth and might be troublesome.....but not all teeth need intervention. I can now take that x-ray and immediately email it to your dentist and get his/her feedback.

While most of my patients are Seniors, I had the opportunity to work with an nice young man who, because of medical issues, is unable to easily get to the dental office. Another avenue to help people take care of their teeth in an effort to keep their teeth! What a blessing!

Elder Dental Hygiene updated their business hours.

Got to see a patient in her home today as she is unable to get out of her house anymore :-(. But did have this spectacular view of the San Jacinto mountains and beautiful blue sky!

Spent the morning at the Palms in LaQuinta with my trusty assistant Nicole offering free oral cancer screenings with the newest generation of oral cancer screening devices. Even Michelle from the marketing department took advantage of this great opportunity. Had a great time and meet some great new friends. Thanks to Michelle and the Palms for the invite.

In an effort to improve the care that I offer to our Seniors and to link with other like caregivers, I have joined the Special Care Dentistry Association. These are dedicated individuals who are caring for some of the most vulnerable among us.

You can teach an old dog new tricks. I am actively recommending and, if needed, supplying my EDH patients with Xylitol. This is a no brainer. All people need to be using a xylitol product 3-5 times per day. Call me for more information.

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol used as a sweetener. The name derives from Greek: ξύλον, xyl[on], "wood" + suffix -itol, used to denote sugar alcohols. Xylitol is categorized as a polyalcohol or sugar alcohol. It has the formula CH2OH(CHOH)3CH2OH and is an achiral isomer of pentane-1,2,3,4,5-pentol. Unlike other natural or synthetic sweeteners, xylitol is actively beneficial for dental health by reducing caries to a third in regular use and helpful to remineralization. Multiple studies utilizing electron microscopy have indicated that xylitol is effective in inducing remineralization of deeper layers of demineralized enamel. Fair evidence was found that xylitol reduced the incidence of acute middle ear infection in healthy children.

Extremely hot weather coming this weekend and into next week here in the Coachella Valley. Please remember that this type of extreme weather can be very hard on our seniors. Even coming outside to for routine appointments can be harmful. Remember you or your loved can always stay in the comfort of home to have a comprehensive dental cleaning and exam. Just give me a call if I can help! 760-641-9099. Try to stay cool this weekend!

The more we learn about this relationship, the more we should be protecting our Seniors and making every effort to maintain good dental health

Gum disease link to Alzheimer's, research suggests - BBC News Gum disease is linked with a greater rate of cognitive decline for people with Alzheimer's Disease, research suggests.

Most family members who have a loved one in an assisted living or nursing home assume they get all of the medical care they need….medical care prescribed by their medical doctors. I’m sure in most cases this is true. The staff members who care for our loved ones are true blessings.

That said, most staff in these facilities (or even home health aides) are ill-trained or untrained on how to help a resident care for their dental health. Most staff probably assume that a patient can brush his or her own teeth without any help….not the case. I have a patient who doesn’t even know which end of the toothbrush to use….how well do you think she is brushing and removing decay-causing plaque?

It’s the plaque (the soft sticky stuff) on our teeth that can lead to tooth decay. If this plaque is allowed to build up day after day after day, it doesn’t take long for the teeth to break down. Seniors are at high risk for decay because of the change in their saliva, changes in vision and changes in hand coordination. Make sure your loved one gets his or her teeth cleaned on a regular basis….and ask about the dental training of the staff. We can no longer separate dental health from medical health….the two are linked.

As we age, our saliva flow diminishes and the plaque on our teeth can get stickier. What does this mean to our senior population? It means that it is harder to get plaque off teeth and leaves teeth more susceptible to tooth decay. Regular dental cleanings and exams are always important but become even more so as we age. Many seniors have reduced function in their hands and in their eyesight...meaning they can no longer clean their own teeth as effectively as they once did and they may not be able to see that they aren't doing a good job. Tooth loss, tooth pain and reduced function are not inevitable as we age, but without regular care, they are definitely a concern. Call for a free dental evaluation today.

Many of our wonderful seniors struggle with dementia/Alzheimers. Their caregivers many times assume that they can perform certain tasks that in reality these Seniors can no longer do. One such simple task is toothbrushing. I watched one of my Senior patients pick up her brush and try to brush with the wrong end of the brush! Good dental health is important for everyone including Seniors. So many times this aspect of their health is overlooked. Getting an dental evaluation is free....just call 760-641-9099.

We start our day. We shower. We wash our face and hands and we brush our teeth. For many who are unable to complete these tasks, there is a caregiver to help them.....but to clean another person's teeth is an entirely different matter and many times neglected. In an effort to maintain your loved one's teeth so they can function (chew, talk, smile) call me for a free consult and evaluation.

Picture of my Dental Hygiene mobile with the new wrap! Look for me all over the Coachella Valley.

Elder Dental Hygiene will be at the LaQuinta annual health fair on October 29th, 2015 from 9am to noon. I shall be talking about the importance of good dental health as we age and offering free oral cancer screenings. Check out this website www.oralid.com to learn more about this important screening technology.

OralID | Oral Cancer Screening Device OralID is the first oral screening light that combines proven fluorescence technology with a lack of per-patient disposables in a device that costs half as much as compared to others.