But I didn’t know… my mum needed me to tell her to brush her teeth!

A dental health awareness week feature with mobile dental hygienist Brenda Fry

We grow up being told to brush our teeth. Morning and night, not matter what.

It’s a daily ritual most of us learn before we can spell “toothpaste”. But here’s something we don’t learn: sometimes, as our parents grow older, that ritual slips always. Not out of laziness, but out of difficulty in doing what used to be an easy task. It may be due to arthritic hands, memory loss, or plain difficulty getting to the sink.

This dental health week we sat down with local mobile dental hygienist Brenda Fry, Founder of Bright Smiles Mobile Dental and the 2024 Canberra Women in Business Social Impact Business Woman of the Year, to explore a surprising and often silent reality. Oral health is often one of the most overlooked issues in older adults. The consequences? Painful. Preventable. And often invisible in those who need help most.

But she never complained?

Brenda’s mobile dental team, consisting of dentists, hygienists and oral health therapists, travel across the ACT and surrounds, visiting people who cannot easily access a traditional clinic due to aging, illness, disability or mobility challenges. They are called to private homes, aged care facilities, and special needs group homes.

What they find is often confronting and heartbreaking.

“Often by the time we are called there is significant dental disease that is causing pain or difficulty eating. In many instances, the patient may not have complained to their family about it, but rather it has been noticed they are struggling to eat their meals for example.” She pauses, then adds. “It’s not that they are hiding it, they are often unaware or unable to articulate it due to cognitive impairment. This is the case for many seniors living with dementia.”

Brenda has countless examples of older patients struggling to chew due to cut tongues and cheeks from broken teeth. She explains that families are often stunned when they learn what their loved ones have been enduring.

That’s the thing about oral disease: it doesn’t always announce itself loudly. Instead it quietly impacts quality of life by making food difficult to chew, speaking and smiling uncomfortable. For those living with dementia or communication barriers, dental pain may never be articulated and picked up at all.

Teeth that have survived decades

Thanks to better dental care over the decades, more older adults are keeping their natural teeth well into their 80s, 90s and beyond! But these are not the pearly whites of youth. They are seasoned veterans and they’re fragile.

“Teeth that have been through a lifetime of wear and tear are more prone to cracks, decay and breakages” says Brenda “When teeth break down, sharp edges are often left behind cutting the tongue or cheeks which is very painful. This is what we see a lot of among our senior patients.”

If you slowly run your tongue along the biting surfaces of your teeth, you’ll notice how naturally sharp and finely edged they are, perfectly evolved for cutting and chewing. Now imagine the integrity of one or more of those teeth suddenly compromised, splintered or cracked in half. What’s left behind is not just broken enamel, but jagged, knife-like edges. These razor-sharp fragments sit waiting, and with every movement, whether speaking, eating, or even just swallowing, they slice or scrape against the sensitive surface of your tongue, making even the simplest action a source of persistent discomfort and pain.

Sweet Habits, Sour Consequences

Tooth decay in older adults isn’t always about poor brushing habits. Often, it is due to dry mouth. Here’s where things get interesting.

Many older people suffer from decreased saliva flow. This combines with medications for common conditions such as blood pressure, anxiety or pain can lead to a very dry mouth. Saliva plays a critical role in protecting teeth. Without it, bacteria thrive. That’s where harmful coping habits come in.

“A lot of older people sip juice or suck on mints and lollies to relieve dry mouth” she says. “It feels soothing, but it’s also bathing the teeth in sugar throughout the day”.

The result? Accelerated tooth decay.

Brenda shares many of her patients are not aware of the risk.

“They are trying to ease discomfort without realising it is causing harm.”

When the Parent-Child roles reverse

There comes a moment in life when the parent-child dynamic begins to quietly, and sometimes uncomfortably, shift. It can happen gradually, offering a hand with the groceries, stepping in to organise medications, or gently reminding them of upcoming appointments. For others, the change arrives without warning, ushered in by a single defining moment: a sudden fall, an unexpected hospitalisation, or the subtle but unmistakable signs of a memory beginning to fray at the edges.

In those moments, roles begin to reverse. And something as simple as asking your elderly mum or dad, “Have you brushed your teeth today?” can feel super weird. Especially if you have your own kids who you ask this question of each day. After all, they’re the ones who taught us these very basics when we were small. They stood by the bathroom sink, toothbrush in hand, teaching us how to squeeze the toothpaste, how to scrub in circles, how to rinse and spit. To ask them that same question now can feel unnatural or even something we never actually thought we would need to ask.

Brenda shares, “It may be helpful to have conversations about the increasing awareness about importance of oral health in relation to overall health. Let them know you have been reading about the effects of dry mouth and ask if their mouth tends to feel dry? Offer to book a dental check-up. If they don’t like going to the dental surgery, they may be more willing to have an appointment at home.”

What a great excuse to start the conversation this dental health awareness week? 

Dentistry on the Doorstep

Bright Smiles was founded to make essential dental care for those who find it difficult to leave the home. Brenda noticed a real gap in the system and did something about it.  She and her team provide a fully mobile dental service, bringing their fully portable dental set up and empathy directly into people’s homes.

The Bright Smiles team, focus on conservative care and ensuring their patients maintain comfort and function with minimally invasive dentistry.

This dental health week, the Bright Smiles Mobile team is focusing on a conversation that is not just about teeth, but about dignity, access and healthy aging, removing the barrier of mobility.

But I didn’t know…

A dental appointment might not feel like a heroic act, but for someone who is experiencing chronic or acute dental pain it can be lifechanging.

So whether you have noticed something or not, it’s time to ask the question.

Let this be your nudge.

Don’t wait.

Because when it comes to dental health in older adults, prevention isn’t just better than a cure. It’s more dignified, more comfortable and more possible than you think.

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To learn more about Bright Smiles Mobile Dental and get in touch with Brenda and her team, visit www.brightsmilesmobiledental.com or call 0408 000 702.