Thank you for your replies. Yes I do all of those things ie. wet the brush , put the toothpaste on ,put it into his hand and direct to his mouth. He will brush one side maybe the front teeth then seems to lose concentration. No problem so far getting him to rinse out. The back of his teeth do not get brushed. I try to get the brush in but he closes his teeth so its impossible. I open and close my mouth trying to prompt him but too no avail. As regards the chewing gum I think he might swallow it.I seem to remember some kind of chewing gum toothpaste. Would that work for him? Will look it up.
Googled it and there were a few choices of strips of gum which acted as tooth cleaner. Worth trying.
My dentist who knows my husband very well has given me the name of a dental specialist who deals with people with disabilities. Should a dental problem arise my husband may need to be sedated as there is no way he will open his mouth anymore to allow any procedure to take place and this is after years of dental visits. How I hate this disease. Checked out website. It is very informative. Will check out YouTube .A fellow carer who was having difficulty with her husband and toothbrushing said she had great success with the method advised by Teepa Snow in her video on u-tube. Might be worth a try.
Luckily for me my husband does still have a go at toothbrushing provided he is given his toothbrush loaded with toothpaste and is gently guided to brush both sides of his mouth( otherwise only one side gets brushed-always his left)
Tre
My dentist who knows my husband very well has given me the name of a dental specialist who deals with people with disabilities. Should a dental problem arise my husband may need to be sedated as there is no way he will open his mouth anymore to allow any procedure to take place and this is after years of dental visits. How I hate this disease. Checked out website. It is very informative. Will check out YouTube .
Teepa Snow is well worth a watch. So pleased for that recommendation. A dental expert told me not to worry about rinsing the mouth out after brushing the teeth. If you can get them just to spit out excess the remaining fluoride in the toothpaste actually helps gums etcI was going to use Teepa's advice but Mum went downhill too fast. I moisten a wipe with lukewarm water (to avoid any hot/cold sensitivity) and put a little child's toothpaste on it. With Mum reclined in bed I gently talk to her and reassure her I will be very gentle and not hurt her and when I can get her to open her mouth a little I slip my finger with the wipe wrapped around it into her mouth and gently clean her teeth and gums as quickly as possible. Not perfect but much improved from a few weeks ago when the nursing home staff were struggling to clean her teeth once a day, and her breath was getting quite bad.
She can no longer understand about rinsing and spitting so mouthwash wasn't an option, and that's why I just use a small amount of mild toothpaste. I obviously wash my hands well before starting and keep calmly telling her how well she's doing etc. It's not easy and I hope someone posts some better tips!