We love seniors! This is why The Perfect Smile™ team travels to retirement residences throughout the region, on a scheduled basis, to deliver dental care to residents in the comfort and safety of their retirement residence community.
Good oral health is about much more than a bright white smile. It is about improving overall health and enjoying a healthier lifestyle.
As we have known since childhood, the key to good oral health is always good, basic oral hygiene — brushing, flossing, and regular checkups. For many seniors and Ontarians this is a straightforward, simple piece of advice that leads to overall health and wellness. However, we also know that many seniors need more assistance.
This was our motivation for developing The Perfect Smile™ mobile service offering.
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The aging process can be as hard on our mouth, teeth and gums as it is on other parts of our bodies. We are more susceptible to the buildup of plaque and calculus, teeth tend to become brittle, and older fillings can become weak and crack.
Maintenance of natural teeth and oral health paves the way to a lifetime of meal enjoyment and confidence.
As well, oral self-care can become more difficult as seniors begin to experience a loss of strength, mobility and manual dexterity, they may have difficulty chewing and swallowing. Even gripping a toothbrush can become difficult as the effects of arthritis, tremors, Parkinson’s disease or stroke take hold.
Research confirms the critical association between good oral health and good overall health in general, and that link only becomes more important as we age.
As we get older, the more likely we are to develop one or more chronic diseases, for example, diabetes. More than 100 diseases can affect our oral health. In fact, most changes in the oral health of seniors are the consequences of chronic disease and medications which lead to dry mouth, accompanied by physical disability and/or cognitive impairment.
Of even greater concern is the reverse connection — the one that suggests that poor oral health can put one at higher risk for other diseases. There is a growing body of research suggesting a relationship between periodontal (gum) disease and various systemic or chronic diseases including pneumonia, cardiovascular disease (heart and stroke), diabetes and malnutrition as well as an association, in less direct ways, with the prevention of osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, increases in prevalence with age and unless regular, effective assistance is provided, the progressive loss of intellectual function and memory inevitably leads to neglect of oral hygiene. Elderly people suffering from dementia often forget to brush and may resist efforts to assist them, making dental care very challenging.
The Perfect Smile™ staff are trained and experienced in treating patients with dementia. The team has set the bar high in this domain, developing successful strategies to help dementia patients understand the reasons for the treatment, overcome resistance, and accept the treatment procedure(s).
The habits that kept our mouths healthy when we were younger will help to keep them healthy as we age. By practising vigilant oral hygiene, seniors can prevent, and in some cases reverse, potentially serious oral disease.
The Perfect Smile™ in-residence services delivery is designed to eliminate effectively all the obstacles many seniors have when it comes to maintaining their oral healthcare, and in many cases, maintaining their overall health and vitality.
Checkups are scheduled on a regular basis, as applicable, treatment is provided in a safe and familiar environment, follow up is considerate and every patient leaves with unique strategies and techniques to overcome any hurdles they may encounter on their journey to oral health.
Referrals to associate health care practitioners (mobile dentist, mobile denturist or other specialist) is provided if we find an area of concern that requires attention and is beyond our scope of practice. We collaborate closely with all dental professionals throughout the process.
The Perfect Smile™ Residence Outreach Program (ROP), has been designed to give residence staff the skills and aids they need to actively engage in the oral healthcare of the resident community.
Mobile or In-Clinic, services are delivered with the same state-or-the-art equipment, methods and staff. For a detailed description of potential treatment options, please click this link to visit the In-Clinic treatment services descriptions.
A Residence Management Perspective
We would be remiss if we did not speak to the positive impact this value-add service provides to residence management and staff alike. So much so that several Ottawa retirement residences now consider services delivered by The Perfect Smile™ as an essential service!
Residence developers and General Managers tell us that they are always on the lookout for new and innovative services to offer residents, staff and prospective clients – services that significantly impact the communities they are building.
The Perfect Smile™ can help. Not only do our services serve to differentiate one residence from another that does not offer the services, more importantly, they have a significant impact on the health and vitality of your residents! What could be better?
Working with our residences, we have developed a very successful Resident Outreach Program (ROP) that presents current and relevant oral healthcare topics to residents and staff in an entertaining fashion, while fostering a sense of community around the topic. When staff have sound knowledge of the role of dental health in general health, nutrition and socialization of the residents, they promote active oral healthcare and everybody benefits.
ROP sessions are scheduled in-residence throughout the year.
We have streamlined the patient onboarding process in collaboration with residence Care staff including the nursing team and physician.
Post-visit follow-up with patients and staff is timely, considerate, effective and appreciated.
Why choose The Perfect Smile™ as your residence dental services provider?
- In the event follow-up care is required, referral to a mobile dentist, mobile denturist or other dental specialist is available
- Services are delivered to residents in a relaxed, friendly, safe and risk-free community environment (for example, eliminating the risk of a fall when residents leave to attend an appointment, especially in winter)
- We foster health and vitality within your residents by eliminating, or at least reducing the effect of gum disease and other dental/systemic issues requiring medical or dental attention (an ounce of prevention strategy!)
- Adult children can rest assured knowing that their parents and loved ones are receiving the highest quality oral health care, on-site
- Stress for residents and staff is reduced
- The services are extremely cost-effective
- Offering the service demonstrates management responsiveness to resident needs
- Staying on-site eases transportation logistics & use of residence vehicles
After 15 years serving thousands of clients as the go-to service provider in dozens of National Capital residences, we are confident when we say that we “change lives, not just smiles”.
Please visit our Testimonials page to see what our clients and their families say about our services.
The Mobile Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page, as well as the other FAQs will hopefully answer other questions you might have. We are only a phone call away – 613-898-2292.