Tooth brushing in care homes

carpe diem

Registered User
Nov 16, 2011
433
0
Bristol
In the 4 months my mother has been in a care home I noticed her tooth paste was hardly been used.
For various reasons I feel that bringing this to the attention of the home isn't in my mothers best interest, so I just ask her to brush her teeth when I visit.
So unless the home has some sort of communal tooth paste and brush.
My mum has an en suite toilet and basin where her tooth brush is. Once her tooth brush was missing and I asked the staff who'd not seen it so went and bought a new one.
How often do you buy new toothpaste for the care home?
How easy do you find it to raise problems with care providers? Do you think it achieves anything?
 

LizK

Registered User
Dec 18, 2015
124
0
Surrey
I agree. When Peter entered the nursing home in April 2016, he had a new pump Colgate toothpaste. After 6 months it had hardly been used. At the meeting with the mental health nurse from the memory clinic and a member of the nursing staff at the home, I raised the point about teeth cleaning. The nurse got out Peter's notes and it appeared that his teeth were cleaned 3/4 times a week. This couldn't have been true. I check his toothbrush every day and it's always dry. He was most careful with dental hygiene and now his breath stinks and his lower gums bleed badly when I attempt to clean his teeth. The community dentist came at my request and prescribed a Corsodyl spray as the mouthwash shouldn't be swallowed and he would swallow it. It's marginally better but wouldn't have been needed if the staff had cleaned his teeth! I know he's difficult, but if I can do it why can't they?

Liz