Parkinson Foundation
Maintaining dental health is important for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD symptoms can complicate dental care. People living with PD can face serious consequences from oral ailments. Quickly addressing dental difficulties can help you continue to live well.
Treating Dental Issues
Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms can affect mouth, teeth and jaw health, sometimes complicating dental treatment.
PD-related rigidity, tremor and dyskinesia can make it hard to brush one’s teeth. These symptoms can also cause cracked teeth, tooth wear, changes in the fit and wear of dentures and tooth grinding.
Symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety and tremor can make the commute to appointments, sitting still in the dentist’s chair or opening the mouth wide challenging.
Too much saliva can lead to a fungal infection at the corners of the mouth. By contrast, too little saliva or dry mouth increases the risk of cavities.
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Davis Phinney Foundation
Managing dental health and Parkinson’s is an integral part of living well. Regular dental care can minimize your risk of experiencing pain and discomfort, but most importantly, it can reduce the risk of infection, which can be a significant stressor on the body when coupled with Parkinson’s-related challenges.
In this post, we provide essential information and tools so you can learn more about dental health and Parkinson’s and improve your dental health.
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APDA Oral Health guide
Good dental health is important for everyone. People with Parkinson’s experience symptoms which may impact their oral health. Individuals may have excessive saliva in the mouth due to a decrease in swallowing. Some people may have a very dry mouth as a side effect of their medications. Finally, brushing and flossing teeth regularly and completely may be difficult due to the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s. Regular visits to the dentist are important, preferably with a dentist who understands the special needs of a person with Parkinson’s. The Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) is an excellent resource to identify dentists who treat the special needs of certain populations. You can call the MDS at 800-342-8747
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If you have had DBS invasive dental hygiene procedures may be contra-indicated if there is the
potential for electrical energy transmission or electromagnetic interference (EMI) from dental/dental hygiene equipment that could affect operation or safety of the implanted DBS system. Certain activities and equipment are to be avoided.
