Hello,
My father has the last couple month been unable to not bit down on the toothbrush, making it almost impossible to brush his teeth. He also cant just open his mouth by his on will, and is by force keeping it closed. It's becoming a huge problem to deal with his mouth hygiene. I was wondering if anyone has dealt with this and if you found a solution for it.
my husband had the same, sorry didn’t find a solution. I’m afraid it just got worse until his mouth did not open at all, hugs. Xxx
Hi Darfon,
Unfortunately this is something we've pretty much all had to deal with. I did a couple of things. (1) used some of those rubberised toothpicks and used those to clean between his teeth. Even when he wouldn't open his jaws, I could still lift his lips and get access that way. (2) I used a rubber apron when my hubby could no longer bend over the basin. I tied it around his head (I know, it sounds weird!) so the top of the apron was right under his mouth/chin, and draped the bottom end into the basin. So when I was brushing his teeth, anything that dribbled out of his mouth ran onto the apron, and when we were done I just rinsed the apron in the shower and hung it up to dry. (3) I diluted mouth wash with some warm water and used a syringe (without the needle) to squirt it into his mouth (on the outside of his teeth) to rinse out the toothpaste and also freshen up his mouth. As long as he was tilted slightly forward, no water ran back into his throat (so no choking), and the water dribbled out onto the apron.
Unfortunately there's not much you can do about cleaning the inside once he stops opening his mouth/clenching down on the toothbrush, but we did the above for at least 2 years and on his annual visit to the dentist, the dentist was surprised how well we'd managed his mouth hygiene.
Hope that helps!
Thank you for the really useful suggestions! Can see it will help in our case.
Hi darfon!
These are our experiences or information about difficulties wlth teeth hygiene:
With the fiber-free part of the head of an electric toothbrush, we massage the outside of the jaw and the inside of the mouth to stimulate the muscles that open the mouth. Also, before feeding the patient, give a circular finger massage for 1 minute just at the top of the jaw and under the ears, she can move her jaw better.
We have seen that laughter, stimulation with an electric toothbrush of the muscles around the mouth (inside and outside) and a good hydration (moisturizers for skin and liquids by mouth) help to maintain the face muscles in good shape
• Over time the cleaning of teeth with an electric brush becomes very difficult. Rinse the mouth is also a challenge presenting a tendency to swallow the liquid generating coughs and choking.
When the classic tooth cleaning system fails we have adopted a very soft bristle
brush (for surgery, brand VITIS) and a special toothpaste for the care of the gums
that produces little foam. To this paste without foam we add a little paste
containing Chlorhexidine.
To clean the mouth we have discarded the brushes that produce a jet of
water under pressure because, very often, they produce coughs and choking.
However there are other experiences like "Martina_MP's". She use “a Sonicare toothbrush with a tiny bit of toothpaste, and a countertop WaterPik, once a day after dinner. We use a big waterproof bib and hold a plastic basin under her chin. Despite swallowing problems with thin liquids at other times, she doesn't choke with the WaterPik, but she has used one for many years so she is used to it. It's great--in our case, indispensable--for rinsing out all the food debris that she can't clear, and for rinsing after brushing. Other times, for additional plaque control, I use the Sonicare with no paste, just dipped in water or mouthwash. If liquid collects in her mouth and she won't swallow, I wipe it out with a paper towel. Another product we use for plaque control is GUM Soft-Picks, which are used between the teeth. Those were recommended by a hygienist”.
As Kevin said: “Get as much dentistry done as possible. It is highly likely that your loved one will eventually have difficulty opening their mouth. If their teeth are good then you won't be facing full anaesthetics for a tooth extraction, or fillings”.
• We have had episodes of canker sores, ulcers (less tan 1 cm.) in the mouth, inside the lips, cheeks, especially in the tongue. If they are not eliminated by applying "Pyralvex-solution" (Rheum officinale extract plus salicylic acid and ethanol) the doctor has prescribed the oral ointment "Sanodin 20mg / g" (disodium carbenoxolone) with good results.
Hoping to be useful.
Hug and luck.
Luis
I had all of these same issues. It was one of my biggest sources of angst as it seemed O wrong to not be able to clean my husband”s mouth. Eventually we had to just surrender and it became more of a problem of secretion control, using suction, than dental hygiene. I have no answers. It’s all awful and incredibly challenging.
Not sure if it would help, but our dental hygienist gave us foam ‘Bite blocks’ to use, because my mom bit her! They are to put between the biting surfaces to keep them apart enough to brush. We haven’t really had to use them yet.
We use a water pic with mouthwash mixed in the water and a drip pan under the chin to let water run into it. Helps freshen the breathe but unfortunately it gets to the part where it becomes impossible to even do that. Good Luck!!
I purchased a small basin ( in US on Amazon) like those used in hospital for vomiting patients- its called an emesis basin and is curved so can be held comfortably under chin of patient. My husband can no longer spit out the toothpaste, it just dribbles and basin catches it and I wipe with a clean wash cloth. AS for brushing , his mouth still opens slightly and I bought small childs size brush to clean teeth as best I can.
Hi - we are going through this now. The neurologist showed me how to massage moms jaw and it helped to relax it. I bought a small soft toothbrush and just brush the exterior, lifting the lip. The oral b doesn't work here anymore.
Next step- my niece who is a dental hygienist suggested using a wet washcloth to wipe the exterior of the teeth and wipe away excess saliva.
I also have a small syringe to squirt diluted mouthwash in the sides of mom's mouth. Head tilted forward, the saliva etc. dribbles out.
I chose not to do swabs as I'm fearful mom will clamp down/bite the end off in her mouth and choke. Trying to keep it simple and know that nothing is the same as we did it before, so let's get creative and thank goodness for everyone sharing. It has certainly helped us
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