Sandy has a 9am dental appointment tomorrow for a deep cleaning (first of two sessions). I just called to reschedule. He has had a terrible day today and I think getting him in his wheelchair and into the van tomorrow would prove to be a nightmare.
He has dental issues and I wanted him to have this deep cleaning in case he's not good enough to get to the dentist later. I suppose developing dental problems isn't really that bad in the whole scheme of things unless he has pain.
How have all of you handled this? There's only so much you can do - some things are almost impossible.
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journeyofjoy
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I postponed hubby’s dental cleaning because he was coughing too much at the time. After swallow therapy I finally took him in for a dental cleaning/exam. He ended up needing a new crown. I took care of his teeth because he is stable and we’re experiencing a plateau.
If you’re at the point of needing a hoist... I probably would postpone the dental treatment. Unless Sandy is complaining of tooth pain? If he’s not experiencing dental pain I would skip it. That’s just my two cents though.
Thanks SewBears. I have cancelled tomorrow's appointment. It just seems like a disaster waiting to happen. He has an appointment next week and the second one will have to be after the new year. As I said, I'd like to get these out of the way in case he's not able to go in later.
Hi, Tooth care is important but difficult. Colin developed an abscess. He was in pain but I didn’t know from where until I smelt it. He could not take antibiotics so the wisdom tooth had to be taken out. We physically could not get his wheelchair into the surgery ( which we found out by trying it) so the dentist referred him to a hospital with a dentist. The surgery was equipped for the disabled with a platform for his chair to be secured to, which rose and tilted, so he didn’t have to transfer. I stayed with him and it was an awful job as the dentist had to physically open his clamped mouth but the tooth was finally extracted. He never went back to the dentist for the last 3 years of his life but I cleaned his teeth with a child’s toothbrush during the times he was able to keep his mouth open for a few minutes each day, before clamping down on the brush. I didn’t use toothpaste as it made him cough. Just the brush but I sprayed his mouth with peppermint breath freshener afterwards which he liked.
Would it be possible to have a home dentist come to you. I had just started exploring this option after a nasty fall trying to get out of the dentist chair.
Access was impossible at our dentist once Colin was in a wheelchair so our dentist referred him to a hospital where he could stay in his chair on a platform which raised and tilted.
Hi. Are you in the UK or abroad. The NHS down where we live have a service for those housebound but sadly there is a long wait. Nigel's came through after he had died but it might be worth investigating. Good luck. AliBee x
Oral hygiene is of prime importance, I brush at least once a day and use oral sponge swabs soaked in mouthwash. The old bag is not always helpful but we persist and eventually get there. The mouth is one of the most germ ridden places of the body, this means that you just have to keep trying.
This was one of my biggest arguments with my dads nursing home - his dental care.
Staff very rarely brushed his teeth or if they did it was just the front teeth. My dad ended up with gum disease. Eventually I managed to get a mobile dentist to call at the home to examine them.
He was prescribed toothpaste that didn’t foam in his mouth and staff were shown how to clean them but towards the end my dads muscles around his jaw locked and he couldn’t open his mouth wide enough and staff became impatient and spoke to him like a child.
I just wished that I had arranged dental care a lot earlier as my dad couldn’t explain to us the pain he was suffering in his gums and I only noticed the disease when we pulled his bottom lip down.
I think every care home should have a mobile dentist that visits.
Hi, I am experiencing similar issues with the nursing home that my mum is in. It’s a constant battle to get them to brush her teeth properly and twice a day. I have noticed a great deal of plaque build up. I am going to see if I can get a dental visit as she is completely immobile and requires a hoist so not realistic for me to take her to the dentist. Is the plaque a result of thickened saliva and part of the PSP?
I just think it’s neglect on behalf of the care home. When my dad had to visit a hygienist she was mortified at the neglect of my dads teeth and phoned the home to complain. They were told to wear gloves and to touch his mouth and move his bottom lip down and to get stuck in to the back of his mouth to clean the side teeth etc good had built up and was stuck in his gums.
It was the same with washing his face and hands after eating. His beard was coated in food. I shaved it off eventually so they could notice but it was still the same. The staff must have hated me!!
Dental care is a worry for lots of us isn't it. There's the access to the mouth itself that's tricky, getting to a surgery that can be nigh on impossible & then a diet of thick gloopy high sugar supplement drinks which though excellent for dietary requirements are not good for teeth.
Mum had a home visit from a dentist (had to be experiencing dental pain to get) and they put a flouride coating on her teeth to give extra protection & she uses a high flouride toothpaste (prescribed by dentist in UK) but struggle to get repeat prescriptions as they like to see the patient & I can't get Mum there, so have to plead with them to make an exception......
Evidentally it's even worse in Nursing Homes trying to get a dentist to visit, you would think it would be manditory for them to make sure patients have regular check ups.
I skipped it because my husband didn't want to go. How does Sandy feel about it? If we had had some sort of emergency, I would have dealt with it then. Thankfully, we didn't. Just my 2 cents worth.
I think he wants to go because he's always kept up with his dental appointments and knows it's important. I plan to keep these two appointments, if possible. Hopefully this is it.
It will probably get to a point where we don't go to any appointments. We see the neurologist every few months which I actually think is good, if we can get there.
If he has a day when he's leaning hard, it will be impossible. Your 2 cents counts, always.
My wife is going for a check up on Thursday,and I'm a little apprehensive.Her regular dentist cannot cope with the way she is now and this appointment has been made through the care home.I just hope that she will be able to keep her head up and her mouth open.I know she has not been brushing properly and her communicating skills are getting worse.The effects of PSP are endless and my stress levels are sky high.Just got to keep on and try to do my best for her.Acorneater.
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What do you all think is happening
A real shitty day, literally.
Where are we in this process?
Where do we go from here
