FYI

The older we get, the more health concerns we may have. Even for those who take care of their overall health, there comes a time when extra consideration becomes required for patients to keep their smiles healthy. Here are five tips that will help you to keep your older patients healthy in their golden years.
 

1. Get to really know your patients:

Every patient has unique wants and needs. Taking the time to listen to older patients and getting to know them can help you to develop a good rapport and provide them with great care. When you have a good relationship with your patients and understand their unique circumstances, you can take steps like:
 

• Book appointments that make sense for their schedules. Older patients may take medications that make them sleepier later in the day or that controls their blood sugars, meaning morning appointments are usually better options for them. They may also need breaks if they need extensive treatment, so splitting care across several sessions may be good as well.
• Watch out for potential side effects of medication. Beta blockers and antihypertensive medications can cause dry mouth. Antiseizure medications can cause gingival hyperplasia. You should also cross check potential drug interactions.
• Alert patients about early warning signs of chronic conditions. Conditions like diabetes may present orally before patients experience any other common symptoms. Through a comprehensive intraoral exam, you can spot suspicious lesions, sore spots, root caries and more that may be signs of serious issues.
   

2. Get family and caregivers involved in the conversation (with your patients’ say-so)

For older adults who need assistance in the form of long-term care services, friends and family are an indispensable help for both your patients and yourself. These caregivers can provide insight into patients’ schedules, routines at home, their overall well-being and more. Just make sure that you have a patient’s consent to discuss their care with others. To stay HIPAA compliant, you must not share information with anyone else unless agreed to by the patient.

If your patient relies on the staff of a nursing or assisted living facility, make sure to communicate with the staff. Let them know the patient’s treatment plan (including any alternative options, procedure details and post-operative instructions in a simple written format.

If your patient has a legal guardian, get the guardian’s consent before proceeding with a treatment plan for the patient. If the patient doesn’t have a legal guardian, be sure that a signed informed consent document is on file with your office.
 

3. Make accessibility a priority

Dental practices are required under the Americans with Disabilities Act to give reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities and to make reasonable attempts to respond to requests for accommodations. This means running your practice in a way that anyone who needs a physical or mental accommodation to get care can get it.

Having a more accessible practice is always a good goal, but it can be especially important for older patients. These steps can make it easier for anyone to get the care they need.
 

• Consider the needs of hard-of-hearing and blind/low-vision patients. For patients with vision loss, be sure to verbally state any information they should know when they sit in the chair, such as your name and what procedures you will be performing. For hard-of-hearing patients, speak slowly, clearly and directly so that they can more easily ready your lips.
• Make the most of technology. The right technology can make it easier for patients to take charge of their care. By optimizing your practice’s website for screen reading software, using larger fonts, alt-text descriptions for images and thoughtful use of color, you can make it easier for patients to find the info they need about your practice. Allowing appointment scheduling by text, email or social media makes it easier for patients to find time to come see you.
  

4. Think beyond the dentist’s chair

Keeping their smiles healthy is something patients mostly do at home. Here are some ways you can help them to take charge of their health in between appointments.
 

• Recommend the best tools for their needs. Got patients with arthritis? An electric toothbrush can make brushing easier. Dry mouth as a side effect of medicine? Recommend a dry mouth relief lubricant.
• Provide simple written at-home careinstructions. This can be especially important for patients with removable and complete dentures.
• Ask patients about their diets. You can use a diet questionnaire as part of your patient intake process to make sure that your patients are eating a diet that meets their nutritional needs. For example, vitamin B12 deficiency is common among older adults, and can cause angular cheilitis and soreness on the corners of the lips.
  
  

5. Let patients know they can retire and still be covered

One concern your older patients may have as their retirement approaches is losing their dental benefits. Because traditional Medicare doesn’t cover most dental services, this can be a major issue for all patients, not just those with dentures or that require major care. Even patients who are only looking for routine cleanings and check-ups will have to pay out of pocket for their care.

Delta Dental helps seniors and retirees take charge of their oral health with resources and plan options to support them into retirement. That makes it easier for patients to keep the kind of coverage they love and keep seeing the providers that they trust. Patients can sign up at any time without having to wait for an open enrollment period.