Perimenopause & Dental Health

Tips for Dental Health

Proper dental care during perimenopause consists of:

• Professional teeth cleaning every three-six months
• Use a tongue scraper daily. These are inexpensive plastic or steel appliances used to remove "glop" from your tongue. You'll be amazed at what is hanging out on your tongue! You can buy a tongue scraper at your local pharmacy.
• Brush for THREE MINUTES! Really. Time it, if you must. Twice a day. Those six minutes can save you thousands in dental bills.
  
• Use a soft toothbrush, either electric or manual.
  
• Make sure your toothbrush massages the gums! This is a vital step in preventing gum disease.
  
• Ensure you brush BEHIND your front teeth for at least 45 seconds. This is where a lot of plaque can build up.
  
• Floss, floss, floss—there really is a lot of food lodged in there just waiting to grow bacteria.

Just doing these few simple steps can lead to years of strong teeth and gums.

A Personal Experience

"At the age of 48, I discovered I was not brushing my teeth properly. How embarrassing. Sitting in the hygienist's chair, I never understood why the backs of my front teeth were always so caked with plaque. When she explained exactly how to brush behind my teeth, and for how long, I was nonplussed. But the last three hygienists were threatening to 'make' me get a deep, and very expensive, gum cleaning (done over four sessions!), due to the plaque, so when she said we'd see how it went the next time, I was grateful. I followed her instructions to the letter, and was amazed that there was a fraction of the amount of plaque this time as before. Best of all, no deep gum cleaning for me!

"Finding the tongue cleaner was another one of those 'AHA' experiences. Try kissing your partner after you both use one. You'll be amazed!"

Perimenopause & Your Gums

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