Hot flashes and night sweats are among the most infamous menopause maladies. But you might want to pay attention to your teeth and gums, too.
“I’m not sure that people are aware of this,” said Dr. Thomas Sollecito, chief of oral medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Hormonal changes — mainly a sharp drop in estrogen — can reduce bone density and saliva production and harm your gums. All of that can affect your teeth.
Oral care experts say there are ways to counteract these effects and keep your menopausal mouth healthy.
Menopause happens when a woman goes 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period. But some of the hormone-related dental problems may begin during perimenopause, when the ovaries gradually make less estrogen, said Dr. Maiara Hister-Cockrell, a dentist with the University of Texas Health San Antonio.
One of the biggest concerns is less saliva, which Sollecito called "one of the most important fluids in our body.”
When the saliva flow slows, it can cause dry mouth, which brings a greater risk of mouth soreness, oral yeast infections and cavities. Those risks are even higher when people take medicines for high blood pressure or diabetes that can also cause dry mouth, Hister-Cockrell said.
Less saliva also means less of its bacteria-killing enzymes and tooth-strengthening minerals, said Dr. Sally Cram, a periodontist in Washington, D.C.
When your mouth is dry, she said, “those bacteria are proliferating and you’re more prone to get tooth decay.” And if decay festers, tooth loss is possible.
Decreasing bone density and receding gums exacerbate these problems. If the socket that holds the tooth is less dense, Sollecito said, it’s more vulnerable to bone loss. And gum recession can leave some tooth surfaces without the enamel that protects them from cavities.
Women in this phase of life are also more likely to develop periodontal disease, when plaque and bacteria collect under gums and around teeth.
“Gum tissue starts to get red and swollen,” said Cram, a spokesperson for the American Dental Association. “It bleeds and it starts pulling away from the teeth, creating deeper crevices around the teeth that are clearly harder to keep clean.”
Some people experience “burning mouth syndrome." Hister-Cockrell said a burning sensation can extend to the tongue, palate and lips.
“As you could well imagine,” Sollecito added, “this could all really spiral out of control."
The first line of defense, experts said, is good oral hygiene and nutrition. Eat a balanced diet low on sweets and high on calcium-rich foods. Brush carefully with fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day and floss regularly.
“An electric toothbrush can be more helpful than manual toothbrushing,” Cram said. “See your dentist regularly and ask them: Am I doing a good job? And if I’m not, what could help me do a better job?”
Patients should also ask their dentists whether they should be seen more than twice a year, as well as consider in-office fluoride treatments to strengthen the surface of their teeth and prescription high-fluoride toothpaste.
At home, experts said, treating dry mouth is a priority. So stay hydrated.
“None of us really probably drink enough water throughout the day,” Cram said.
People can also use over-the-counter dry mouth sprays, lozenges or rinses. In severe cases, Sollecito said they can ask their dentist about prescription medications that increase the amount of saliva in the mouth but come with side effects. There are also prescription medications for burning mouth syndrome.
“The bottom line,” Cram said, “is most oral conditions and problems during menopause are totally preventable" by paying attention, taking good care of your teeth at home and regularly going to the dentist.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - A dentist holds a model of teeth and a toothbrush in Seattle on Aug. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday criticized Republican Donald Trump 's promise to deport millions of people who are in the United States illegally, questioning whether he would rely on massive raids and detention camps to carry it out.
Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, told the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual leadership conference that the nation can find both a pathway to citizenship for those who want to come and at the same time secure the border.
“We can do both, and we must do both,” she said.
Trump, for his part, held a rally in Uniondale on New York's Long Island as both candidates took a break Wednesday from campaigning in the toss-up states that will likely decide the Nov. 5 election. The former president drew a large, roaring crowd, giving him a chance to show deep support even in a blue state.
He ripped into Democratic leadership in New York City and state, blaming them for homeless people living in what he called “horrible, disgusting, dangerous, filthy encampments,” and even the conditions on the New York City subway, which he called "squalid and unsafe” and promised to renovate.
“What the hell do you have to lose?" he said in asking for their votes.
Before heading out to the suburbs, Trump stopped at a Bitcoin cafe in New York City. Trump has recently embraced cryptocurrency and on Monday night helped launch his family's new cryptocurrency venture.
Harris harked back to the Trump administration's immigration policies as she bid for Hispanic support.
“While we fight to move our nation forward to a brighter future, Donald Trump and his extremist allies will keep trying to pull us backward,” Harris said. “We all remember what they did to tear families apart, and now they have pledged to carry out the largest deportation, a mass deportation, in American history.”
“Imagine what that would look like and what that would be? How’s that going to happen? Massive raids? Massive detention camps? What are they talking about?” she said.
Former president Trump has promised to carry out “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country” if he's elected in November. He has offered no details on how such an operation would work.
Trump has leaned into immigration as a top campaign issue and made it a key focus of his remarks Wednesday.
“Look at what's happening,” he told his crowd in New York. "Businesses that are fleeing, money draining out of your state and hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants sucking your public resources dry.”
He has an advantage over Harris in opinion polling on whom voters trust to better handle the issue.
Meanwhile, the Teamsters labor union declined to endorse either Harris or Trump, saying neither had sufficient support from its 1.3 million members.
Harris had met on Monday with a panel of Teamsters, having long courted organized labor and made support for the middle class her central policy goal. Trump met earlier in the year with a panel of Teamsters, and its president, Sean O’Brien, spoke at his invitation at the Republican National Convention.
Trump's rally Wednesday night was in Uniondale, an area that could be key to Republicans maintaining control of the House. His party is trying to protect 18 Republicans in Democratic-heavy congressional districts that Joe Biden carried in 2020, particularly in coastal New York and California, and going on offense to challenge Democrats elsewhere.
Long Island in particular features one of the most closely watched races, between first-term Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito and Democrat Laura Gillen. D’Esposito is a former New York Police detective who won in 2022 in a district that Biden won by about 15 percentage points in 2020.
Trump posted Tuesday on his Truth Social platform that the GOP has “a real chance of winning” New York “for the first time in many decades." In that same post, Trump also pledged that he would “get SALT back,” suggesting he would eliminate a cap on state and local tax deductions that were part of tax cut legislation he signed into law in 2017.
The so-called SALT cap has led to bigger tax bills for many residents of New York, New Jersey, California and other high-cost, high-tax states, and is an important campaign issue in those states, particularly among those New York Republicans serving in districts Biden won.
Harris' speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute marked the second day in a row that she has tended to constituencies considered key to the Democratic Party.
On Tuesday, she sat for an interview in Philadelphia with members of the National Association of Black Journalists. She decried Trump’s rhetoric and said voters should make sure he “can’t have that microphone again.” She has trips planned later in the week to Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin.
Trump is attempting to return to his campaign cadence after Sunday's apparent assassination attempt as he golfed in Florida. On Tuesday, he traveled to Flint, Michigan, and has not appeared to alter plans for upcoming trips to the nation's capital and North Carolina later in the week.
His running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, held an event in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Wednesday.
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
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Kinnard reported from Houston and Colvin reported from Uniondale, New York. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Washington and Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum, Wednesday, Sept.18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump makes a campaign stop at Pubkey Bar and Media House, Wednesday, Sept.18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris waves to the crowd as she leaves at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Leadership Conference, at Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Leadership Conference, at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Leadership Conference, at Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) leadership conference, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump makes a campaign stop at Pubkey Bar and Media House, Wednesday, Sept.18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Leadership Conference, at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris Vice is interviewed by National Association of Black Journalists members Tonya Mosley, and Gerren Keith Gaynor, with moderator Eugene Daniels, at the WHYY studio in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a town hall event at the Dort Financial Center, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Flint, Mich. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris boarding Air Force Two, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, near Philadelphia International Airport, in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump on stage with Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders during a town hall event at the Dort Financial Center, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Flint, Mich. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
