Dental Tips

You can keep your teeth for your lifetime. Here are some things you can do to maintain a healthy mouth and strong teeth.

• Drink fluoridated water and brush with fluoride toothpaste.
• Practice good oral hygiene. Brush teeth thoroughly and floss between the teeth to remove dental plaque.
• Visit your dentist on a regular basis, even if you have no natural teeth or have dentures.
• Do not use any tobacco products. If you smoke, quit.
• Limit alcoholic drinks.
• If you have diabetes, work to maintain control of the disease. This will decrease risk for other complications, including gum disease.
• If your medication causes dry mouth, ask your doctor for a different medication that may not cause this condition. If dry mouth cannot be avoided, drink plenty of water, chew sugarless gum, and avoid tobacco products and alcohol.
• See your doctor or a dentist if you have sudden changes in taste and smell.
• When acting as a caregiver, help older individuals brush and floss their teeth if they are not able to perform these activities independently.

Additional Resources

• CDC: Tips From Former Smokers
• CDC: Managing Diabetes
• Working Together to Manage Diabetes: A Toolkit for Pharmacy, Podiatry, Optometry, and Dentistry (PPOD)
• National Institutes of Health: Chemotherapy and Your Mouth pdf icon[PDF – 326KB]external icon
• National Institute on Aging: Taking Care of Your Teeth and Mouthexternal icon