LO oral hygiene

Is he unable to brush his own teeth now? My husband only brushes his at night (unless he's going to the doctor or dentist), but I have to remind him/nag him every night. He was always bad about only brushing once a day, so the schedule is still the same. It's just that he no longer thinks of it on his own. And forget flossing—unless something is stuck in there, he never did that, yet he seldom had any dental issues.

He'll be 89 this summer, so I've decided not to worry too much about it. His teeth will probably last as long as he does, so I'll just keep reminding/nagging him to brush before bed.

Interesting that you posted about oral hygiene. I am noticing a change in diligence here for my mom now. I can see that she is not flossing - but this is only when I am really close. Often this is harder now because she is constantly moving and finding something to do. I work remotely - so when my dad is away at work for a few hours - I just aim to keep a pulse on what she is doing so that it does not appear as if I am micromanaging her movements. The micromanaging is actually her term that she started using in the last two years. I know though that her oral hygiene is not good at all. She will often start brushing, walking around with the toothbrush in her mouth, and doing laundry, playing with the dog...just not sanitary and not going to result in a completed task. Like you, I am not sure what to do here or how to address it because if there are too many reminders, she blows up at you. The micromanaging accusations get thrown out there and then she's over agitated. SO...you know...

I put toothpaste on his Oral B toothbrush, and he moved it around for less than a minute. I can see his front teeth don't look clean, and I can only imagine what the back ones look like.

Perhaps a regular cleaning by a dental hygienist would help. I wonder if there are foods that are good for teeth. I give my dog biscuits that are supposed to help clean his teeth. By the time my mother died at 88, her teeth were literally falling out right in front of me, and she had had excellent dental care throughout her life. Truth is, we're all going to fall apart somehow someday. Do what you can and let the rest go. IMHO

Pam -- Cheese, celery, apples (not apple juice), avocado, whole milk, and water are all tooth-protective... also xylitol mints.

So... a smart strategy might be to END a meal with one of the above... maybe a piece of cheese, a couple of apple slices, a stalk of celery, etc.

Hope this works for you.

Know how tough it is to get the folks we care for to do mouth care. Been there, done that. ;>)

/LarryG

We just went to the dentist yesterday for my wife. She has always been a regular brusher of her teeth, much more than me. Her teeth are good but the dentist commented that her gums were not. She can't floss anymore. We have an electric brush we have to use more. We like using dental rinse, but dentists don't have much faith in them. Something we have to work on. I will keep reading this post.. We may be going for more frequent cleanings at the dentist's office.

We are now going every 3 months and he seems to be maintaining his dental status quo. The hygienist had been very helpful - gave him one of those old fashioned egg-timers so he has a sense of how long he's been brushing since his perception of elapsed time is pretty much gone.

"We" are in the advanced stages of LBD. My hubby (age 69) will try to brush his teeth sometimes, but will usually let me do it for him once a day - just before bedtime. Some nights he heads straight to bed without any brushing. He used to use mouthwash, but now he swallows it, so that is no longer an option. We went to the dentist this past week and he would not cooperate with the x-rays. He did let her polish/brush his teeth, but she could not use the tools to eliminate plaque. She did manage to get the flouride on his teeth, so that will help protect some. We have another appointment in 6 months, but I cannot imagine being able to get him there. I wrote all of this to say we all have to do the best we can each day and let go of what we can't do without frustrating our loved one or ourselves. This journey is hard enough, and we just have to take each moment and do the best in this seemingly impossible situation - and then move on to the next challenge.
I love being a part of this support group of unseen, but very understanding comrades. God bless each and everyone...