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Oral Hygiene Tips For Seniors With Arthritis

20 March 2015 by Joann Dunn

Seniors who suffer from severe arthritis may have a hard time gripping their toothbrush and floss in order to clean their teeth. If you suffer from arthritis, and as a result you find it difficult to use your toothbrush, floss and other tooth cleaning implements, these tips will help you keep your teeth clean.

Use Special Tools to Help You Clean Your Teeth

Various tools are available on the market that can help arthritis patients grip their toothbrush, floss and other cleaning implements more easily. These include:

• Utensil holders. Although utensil holders are specifically designed to hold onto spoons and forks, these tools for arthritis sufferers can be used to grip toothbrushes as well.
• Floss holders. Floss holders are easy to load, have no moving parts and can be used in place of fingers to hold onto dental floss.
• Toothpaste squeezers. Toothpaste squeezers will squeeze out the toothpaste starting from the bottom of the tube, ensuring that almost every drop of toothpaste gets used. Toothpaste squeezers are easy for many arthritis patients to manipulate, and can prevent the patient from struggling with the tube personally.

Use DIY Methods to Make Toothbrushes Easier to Hold

In addition to the commercial tools that help arthritis patients grip their cleaning implements, there are several DIY ways to make toothbrushes easier to use. Try these methods:

• Tennis ball method. Make a homemade toothbrush holder out of a tennis ball by slicing the side of a tennis ball and then inserting the toothbrush into the slit.
• Washcloth method. Give the toothbrush a big fuzzy gripper by wrapping the handle of the toothbrush in a washcloth.
• Bike gripper method. Tape an old bicycle handle gripper onto the handle of your toothbrush. Use duct tape or another strong and relatively waterproof tape to secure the bike handle to the toothbrush.

Remember that when using any of these DIY methods to fatten up the handle of your toothbrush, bacteria can get caught in the cracks of your homemade handle. Clean your toothbrush and the holder frequently to ensure that the toothbrush is sanitary enough to use.

Schedule More Frequent Cleanings with Your Dentist

Ask your dentist how often you should go in for check ups. The standard recommended length of time between dentist appointments is approximately once or twice per year. However, in the case of patients who face challenges maintaining their oral hygiene, dentists may recommend more frequent appointments to ensure that the teeth are staying clean. For more information about how to meet your dental needs, talk to a family dentist like Denise McGrade DDS.

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