 Being a caregiver can be quite a daunting task. It does make you feel fulfilled when you help someone who cannot help themselves, however, it is sometimes difficult and oftentimes time-consuming.
Each step has their own challenges, be it convincing the people being taken care of to take a bath, change their clothes or eat their food and take their necessary medication. Taking care of their dental health is also another necessary but sometimes neglected duty.
That is why it is critical to convince or at least make them understand how important it is to take care of their health. However, some will not take it to heart or just plainly forget about taking care of themselves. This is where you come in.
How Should I Help Them Take Care of Their Dental Health?Leaving behavior problems aside, the very first thing you should do is to find a proper position. Most of the time, especially for those in a wheelchair, it is advised to stand or sit behind them. Make sure that your hands are hygienic and clean.
You can do this by washing your hands first and then wearing gloves. For wheelchair users, please make sure that the wheels are locked. For the comfort of the patient, please use the arm that is not brushing their teeth as their head support.
For brushing their teeth, do not apply too much or too little force; just enough for you to feel the teeth and not make the brush bristles cause any type of pain or damage.
First brush the front part, and then the back and finally top sides. For those who cannot rinse water from their mouth, you can use a gauze. Wrap one of your fingers in gauze and just clean their mouths.
While the physical act of brushing their teeth is good, please do not forget to speak to them in a comforting and calm voice. If you are still having some troubles, please consult with us so that we can think of what we can do for you and your patient.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please call us at (623) 738-2639 today.
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