Thanks to community water fluoridation, fluoride toothpaste, daily brushing and improved professional dental care, a record of approximately 75 % of senior citizens over age 65 have kept some or all of their teeth.

A study in the Journal of Dental Research found that “very elderly adults (ages 85 and older) in community-living settings who slept in dentures were at higher risk of developing pneumonia because bacteria from the mouth could be inhaled into the lungs.”

If you have dentures of any type they should be kept meticulously clean. Every night the dentures should be taken out, thoroughly brushed, soaked in a cleaning solution overnight and cleaned again in the morning.