Dental Care After 65: A Guide for Laguna Woods Village Residents

By Dr. Nojan Jahedmanesh, DDS · Reviewed by Dr. Masih Rezaei, DDS · Published October 14, 2026 · General · 10 minute read · More articles

Teeth last longer than they used to. That is good news. It also means more people in their seventies and eighties are looking after fillings, crowns, bridges and dentures that are decades old. Many are also taking several medicines that affect the mouth. This article is for Laguna Woods Village residents and anyone else past 65: the five changes we see most, what helps with each, and a plan for getting the most from a Medicare Advantage dental benefit before the year turns over. Pearl32 Dentistry and Wellness is about two and a half miles from the Village, in Laguna Hills; our Laguna Woods Village page covers the bus, the elevator and parking.

Why the mouth changes after 65

According to the CDC, more than 1 in 7 adults aged 65 or older have lost all their teeth, and about a quarter have 8 or fewer left. The other side of that figure is that most people over 65 still have many of their own teeth, and many of those teeth carry work done thirty or forty years ago.

Age by itself does not ruin teeth. What changes is the mix: less saliva, gums that have receded, restorations reaching the end of their working life, and more medicines. The American Dental Association notes that 39 percent of people aged 65 and older use five or more prescription drugs. Each of these changes is manageable when it is caught early.

One: dry mouth

Saliva is the mouth’s own defense. It rinses food away, neutralizes acid and carries minerals back into the enamel. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research counts hundreds of medicines that can reduce it. Common ones for high blood pressure, depression and bladder control are among them. The institute is also clear that dry mouth is not a normal part of aging. The ADA puts it at about 30 percent of people over 65 and up to 40 percent over 80, mostly as a side effect of medication. A dry mouth feels sticky, makes dentures rub, and lets decay start in places it rarely did before.

What helps: sip water through the day, use sugar-free gum or lozenges to keep saliva flowing, and avoid sipping sweet or acidic drinks slowly over hours. At your cleaning we can apply fluoride varnish, and we may prescribe a higher-strength fluoride toothpaste for home. Never stop or change a medicine yourself because of a dry mouth. If it is a real problem, we write to your physician, and the decision stays with your physician.

Two: decay at the gumline

As gums recede, the roots of the teeth are exposed. Root surfaces have no enamel, so decay starts there more easily and spreads faster, often around the edge of an old crown or filling where it is hard to see in a mirror. The ADA estimates that about half of people over 75 have decay on the root of at least one tooth. We regularly see someone who has not had a cavity in twenty years find three at once in their seventies.

Digital x-rays and a careful exam find these while they are small, and our fillings page covers the repair. An electric toothbrush and a water flosser make cleaning at the gumline easier for hands that are stiff from arthritis.

Three: old fillings and crowns

A crown placed in the 1990s has done its job if it is still in. Crowns and large fillings wear, their edges open, and teeth that have carried big fillings for decades develop cracks, often felt as a sharp pain on biting that comes and goes. Replacing an old crown before the tooth under it fails is usually a smaller job than rescuing the tooth afterwards.

Most crowns here are designed and milled in the office in one visit; see same-day crowns and our page on cracked teeth.

Four: dentures that no longer fit

The bone under a denture shrinks slowly for as long as the denture is worn. A denture that fitted well ten years ago now rocks, rubs or needs more adhesive. A reline refits it to the gums as they are now. A new denture is made when the teeth are worn or the fit cannot be recovered. For a lower denture that will not stay put, two implants can anchor it.

Take dentures out at night and clean them with a denture brush rather than toothpaste. Have them checked once a year even if you have no natural teeth left. The exam also looks at the gums, the tongue and the rest of the mouth. See denture repair and relines and implant supported dentures.

Five: gums, medicines and the rest of the mouth

Gum disease usually does not hurt for years, which is why it is found at a checkup rather than noticed at home. In the ADA’s figures, 68 percent of adults aged 65 and older who still have their own teeth have periodontitis, the deeper form of gum disease. Treating it, then keeping it quiet with cleanings on a shorter schedule, protects the teeth you have; see gum disease treatment.

Some medicines also change how we plan treatment. Blood thinners affect bleeding after an extraction, and certain bone-strengthening medicines, taken as tablets or given by infusion, matter before any extraction or implant. Bring a printed list from your pharmacy to every visit. The American Dental Association’s guidance is that most patients do not need to change blood thinners or antiplatelet medicines before dental treatment. Stopping them carries more risk than the bleeding, which can be controlled in the chair. Never stop one on your own; if a question comes up, we coordinate with your physician, and any change is made on your physician’s advice.

Every exam here also includes an oral cancer screening. It takes a few minutes and involves looking and feeling, nothing more.

A year-end plan for your dental benefit

Original Medicare does not cover routine dental care. Many Medicare Advantage plans include a dental benefit, and it varies widely from plan to plan: what is covered, how much, and whether you must use dentists in the plan’s network. Most dental benefits run on the calendar year, with an annual maximum that resets on January 1, and money left unused at year end usually does not carry over. Your plan documents are the final word.

Three steps before the year ends:

1. Call with your plan name. We check what your benefit covers and what is left for the year before you come in.
2. Book your cleaning and exam before the year ends if this year’s benefit has not been used.
3. Stage larger work across two benefit years where the dentist agrees it is safe to wait, so part of it falls under each year’s maximum.

If you are choosing a plan for next year, Medicare’s open enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7. If keeping your dentist matters to you, check that the practice is in the new plan’s dental network before you switch; we are glad to tell you over the phone. Our insurance page lists the plans we accept, including Medicare Advantage dental plans. If you have no dental coverage, our membership plan covers preventive visits for a set fee. It is a membership plan, not insurance.

Getting here from the Village

The Village resident bus stops at our plaza on service days; check the Village schedule and tell us you are coming by bus so the appointment fits it. If you drive, it is a few minutes. Street parking and the spaces behind the building are free; the parking structure charges. An elevator runs up to Suite 450, and the office is wheelchair accessible.

We book longer appointments when you need them, family members are welcome to sit in and take notes, and the team speaks English, Spanish and Persian. Everything else we do is on our general dentistry page. Pearl32 Dentistry and Wellness has been serving the Laguna Hills community since 1994.

Questions people ask

Does Medicare pay for dental care?

Original Medicare does not cover routine dental care such as cleanings, fillings or dentures. Many Medicare Advantage plans include a dental benefit, and what it covers varies widely by plan. Call with your plan name and we check what it covers before you come in. We accept Medicare Advantage dental plans; the insurance page lists them.

Why is my mouth so dry?

Most often it is medication. Hundreds of medicines can reduce saliva, taking several at once adds up, and dry mouth is not a normal part of aging. Sip water through the day, use sugar-free gum or lozenges, and tell us every medicine you take. We can apply fluoride varnish at cleanings and may prescribe a higher-strength fluoride toothpaste. Never stop a medicine yourself; if it is a real problem, we write to your physician.

Should I stop my blood thinner before a dental visit?

No, not on your own. The American Dental Association’s guidance is that most patients do not need to change blood thinners before dental treatment. Stopping them carries more risk than bleeding, which can be controlled in the chair. If an extraction or surgery is planned and a medicine raises a question, we coordinate with your physician, and the decision stays with your physician. Bring a printed medication list from your pharmacy to every visit.

Am I too old for dental implants?

Age alone is rarely the deciding factor. What matters is your general health, the bone at the site, your medicines and how well you can clean around the implant. Many people have implants placed in their seventies and eighties, often two implants to hold a loose lower denture. A 3D scan and a review of your medical history tell us whether it is sensible for you.

This article is general information, not a diagnosis. What is right for you can only be decided after an examination.