How dry I am. Dry mouth adds to senior oral health woes

There’s a perception that drooling becomes more common in your later years. From a dentist’s point of view, that’s actually a good thing as excessive saliva washes away food particles and bacteria and neutralizes acids that can lead to increased plaque accumulation, which causes cavities and gum disease. Truth be told, a much greater issue for seniors is dry mouth and how that relates to the oral health.

For most seniors, dry mouth is caused by medications for treatment of any number of issues. Those can include anti-anxiety agents, antidepressants, antihistamines, antipsychotics, diuretics, Parkinson’s Disease medications and urinary incontinence agents.

Another real issue with dry mouth is it makes the teeth less absorptive to minerals like calcium and fluoride that strengthen teeth. Consequently, you have weaker teeth that are more vulnerable to plaque and that leads to cavities and worse.

There are many things patients can do to alleviate dry mouth. That can include drinking more water (fluoridated tap water is the best), using over-the-counter saliva substitutes or moisturizer, chewing sugarless gum or sucking on sugarless mints. Seniors can also make some external adjustments to their living environment, like using a humidifier at night while they sleep.

When it comes to dry mouth, what you don’t do is probably more important. Specifically, you want to avoid tobacco products, sugary drinks, caffeine and alcohol (that includes mouthwashes and rinses with alcohol) and spicy and salty foods.

Of course, it’s always a concern with more elderly patients that they will stop taking a medication if it makes them feel worse. If you feel like you have dry mouth, it’s critical to ask your primary care doctor about it so that perhaps they can alter the medication. Of course, the key ingredient to dental health is brushing and flossing and regular checkups with your dentist. 

For more information, give us a call 781-335-0604 to schedule a consultation. 

The Toothboss in the Weymouth News

The Toothboss was recently featured in the Weymouth News for our Smiling Neighbor program. Of course, the recipient was The Toothboss himself, yours truly. Here's a link to the article.

The Toothboss caps military career with Smiling Neighbor Award

The Toothboss and his combat buddy Scott Sallaway

As part of our Smiling Neighbor Award program, The Toothboss recognizes local residents doing good deeds in the community. For this quarter’s Smiling Neighbor, staff at The Toothboss decided yours truly, Dr. Wolfert, was a worthy recipient of the honors. This was based on my recent retirement after 30 years of military service in the U.S. Navy and Army National Guard.

Now, when we first set up the Smiling Neighbor Award program, it was not to honor Toothboss staff. But the gesture is appreciated. And I suppose 30 years in the military does meet our criteria for the Smiling Neighbor.

To give you a little background on my military career, here’s a snippet from an article in the Weymouth Patch:

Dr. Wolfert joined the U.S. Navy while enrolled at Tufts School of Dental Medicine in 1978. It was during his tenure in the Navy that he earned the nickname that would become the name of his practice.

“I served on the U.S. Midway and the commander on the carrier called his department heads ‘boss’. For example, the guy who ran the flight deck was the ‘air boss’. As the dentist, I was the tooth boss,” said Wolfert. “By the time I left the Navy, joined the Guard and started my private practice, I’d grown used to the name and kept it for my business.”

Wolfert’s military career included a tour of duty in Iraq in 2004. Stationed a few miles from the front at a makeshift hospital, he compared the experience to being like the television show M*A*S*H, only in real life.

“There was that kind of camaraderie in our outfit, but I don’t think any of us ever forgot why we were there and how close we were to some really nasty stuff,” said Wolfert.
After his tour of Iraq, Wolfert chose to remain in the National Guard, where he has served as a mentor to young dentists and supervised care for the 7,000 soldiers in the Army National Guard Reserve in Massachusetts. At the end of February, Dr. Wolfert retired with the rank of Colonel.

“Many people have asked me over the years why did I join and why did I stay. The best explanation I have is that I come from a military family. My two older brothers served in Vietnam. I guess I felt it was my duty to serve. Once I got in, I found it agreed with me. It’s really as simple as that,” said Wolfert.

For being selected as the Smiling Neighbor, Dr. Wolfert opted to give his $50 gift card to Stockholders to a fellow veteran, battle buddy and Toothboss patient, Scott Sallaway. Scott served three tours of Iraq, including one with Wolfert in 2004.

“It may sound cliché, but the men and women who did not make it back from their tours of duty are the real heroes,” said Wolfert. “Me, I’m proud to have served in the company of such brave men and women.”

Thanks again to my kind staff for nominating me for this quarter’s Smiling Neighbor. I hope Scott enjoys his dinner at Stockholders.

The Smiling Neighbor award is given out on a quarterly basis to citizens of Weymouth going above and beyond the call of duty for their fellow citizens. People can nominate a Smiling Neighbor by sending an e-mail of 200 words or less to toothboss1@aol.com. Please remember to include your name and telephone number as well as the name and telephone number or e-mail of the person they are nominating. Nominations can also be sent to The Toothboss, 1121 Main Street, South Weymouth, MA  02190.

Reader’s Choice 2015

One of our proudest moments in 2014 was receiving the Gold Award as the #1 Dentist/Dental Office in Weymouth and the South Shore for WickedLocal’s Reader’s Choice Awards. It’s an honor The Toothboss does not take lightly, particularly with all the other outstanding dental practices in the area. Thank you for your support. 

We strive to offer the very best dental care possible. If you are happy with the care you are receiving, we would appreciate your consideration for this year’s 2015 WickedLocal Reader’s Choice. Voting runs from runs from January 11 to February 7.

If you do vote for our practice, please refer to us as “The Toothboss” or “Dr. Richard Wolfert” (there is another Dr. Wolfert in Weymouth and we would like to avoid any confusion).

Thank you once again for choosing The Toothboss for your dental care. We look forward to serving you in 2015.