Care tips

When the hand can no longer manage, the aid has to.

Clean teeth and fixed dental work at least twice a day.
Use a fluoride toothpaste to protect the enamel. Particularly suitable are toothpastes containing a combination of amine and stannous fluoride or agents that inhibit plaque.
Where the mouth is dry, the dentist can recommend moisturising gels or other helpful products.
Clean the tongue with a tongue scraper – most of the bacteria gather there.
Electric toothbrushes make things easier, for carers too; the handles of narrow manual brushes can be enlarged with a bicycle grip slipped over them, a tennis ball or special grip pieces.
Chemical plaque control with rinsing solutions can be a helpful support.
If normal brushing and controlled spitting out of a rinse are no longer possible, a rinsing solution can be applied to the mucous membrane and teeth with a small cloth.
Finger tips are suitable for caring for the mucous membrane.
With patients who tend to clamp down, a small dental prop or cut-to-size bottle corks can be used to help keep the mouth open.
Two- or three-headed toothbrushes can be helpful; they clean the inner and outer surfaces (and the chewing surface) at the same time.
Anyone supporting people who wear full or partial dentures should take them out and clean them at least once a day, doing it themselves if necessary. Since a full denture covers the mucous membrane completely and so hinders self-cleaning by tongue and saliva, the gum should be cleaned and massaged once a day with a soft toothbrush.
Rinse removable dentures under running water after every meal.
Brush the denture thoroughly twice a day with a special denture brush.
Toothpastes for dentures contain gentle abrasives that do not roughen the surfaces.
In addition, a denture cleaner can be used once a day, but it can never replace mechanical cleaning.