Tips to Help Someone with Alzheimer’s Brush Their Teeth

Dental health is essential for overall health, because uncontrolled oral bacteria can multiply and enter the bloodstream. However, properly brushing teeth can be a challenge for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. As a result, they may need help brushing their teeth properly to avoid cavities and other dental issues.

The problem is, nobody likes the idea of someone else putting things in their mouth. It’s human instinct to resist. Fortunately, dementia expert Teepa Snow offers some special techniques that can help you “be” their fine motor skills since they’re losing them. Through tool manipulation, you’ll be able to keep their teeth clean and their mouth healthy with a minimum of fuss. The key is to use the usual strategies of calming and distracting.

Begin by standing on their dominant side, since that’s the side of the brain that holds their history for fine motor tasks. In other words, if the person is right-handed, stand on their right side. (The only time this would be different is if the person has had a stroke, which might require you to use the opposite side.) As you hold the toothbrush, guide them to hold your hand that’s holding the brush. That way, while you’ll be the one controlling the motions, the pressure from your hand will trick their brain into thinking they’re doing the brushing on their own, since their brain will remember their hand coming up to their mouth.

Put your hand on their dominant side shoulder and apply gentle downward pressure while brushing. This action will take their attention away from what’s happening in their mouth and focus it on the sensation on their shoulder.

In most cases, using these techniques will allow you to successfully and quickly complete your task. If you fail to follow these strategies, however, you’ll likely come up against the older person’s natural resistive reactions because they’ll be uncomfortable with someone else trying to put something in their mouth.