Long-Term Dental Care for Long-Term Care Residents
We all know that long-term care residents deserve the best in life. Seniors with compromised
cognitive or physical abilities have a safe setting with caring staff, nutritious meals, and the
companionship of like-minded residents. While we would like to believe that the long-term care
facility has everything necessary for a happy, serene, and protected life, one area most often
overlooked is that of routine oral care.
For the most part, this is a correct analysis. The only problem is that it assumes a great deal. To
begin, it suggests a staff composed of caring, conscientious caregivers. While that is most often
the case, time for patient care can often be minimized in deference to serving the entire
population. It also includes good food and clean conditions, as well as medical treatment for
both acute and chronic resident conditions.
Oral Care when in Long term care
In the long-term care environment, there are many challenges to providing quality care for
residents. Students of the long-term care environment quickly remind us of all of the exceptions to this model, a situation much less common than consistent, responsible care. For the resident who seeks reassurance that his or her health is a priority, the best indication of that practice begins with oral care.
Oral Hygiene Should be More Noticed
Many recent studies have shown that oral hygiene and dental care should be more noticed. This
is a severe disadvantage for long-term care facility residents. Whether it is in the area of dental pain, tooth loss, persistent bad breath, dry mouth, bacterial infection, or denture discomfort, very often, the resident is in a compromised position with limited options for help.
The mouth is an excellent representation of other conditions a resident may suffer from. The
presence of systemic diseases can be reflected in the mouth. Bacterial or fungal infections are
also detected in the mouth as well as nutritional deficiencies. Unfortunately, the failure to detect
these symptoms can result in the incidence of more severe diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, malnutrition, stroke, and pneumonia.
Difficulty Maintaining their Oral Hygiene
Many long-term care residents have difficulty maintaining their oral hygiene. It’s not just a matter of being unable to perform the routine tasks of tooth brushing and flossing; it’s a matter of
remembering to do them.
For example, if you have Parkinson’s disease or arthritis, you might not be able to brush your
teeth as well as you used to. You might not even be able to reach your mouth with the toothbrush. Or maybe you can get your mouth but can’t hold the toothbrush steady enough to brush correctly.
These issues can lead to severe problems with dental health—and more serious ones. You must get help from someone who can keep an eye on your oral health and catch any early signs of trouble so we can fix it before it becomes a bigger problem.
Dry Mouth, Gum Disease, or Poorly Fitting Dentures
Those with cognitive impairment have more significant challenges. In addition to experiencing
conditions such as dry mouth, gum disease, or poorly fitting dentures, they simply cannot be
expected to maintain the lifestyles that their contemporaries with total mental capacity enjoy.
Increased attention to patient oral care is the priority for ensuring oral health. Supervision or
assistance with brushing can be instrumental in creating good habits. Roving Dental Hygiene
has taken great strides in assisting this unique and deserving population by creating the concept
of mobile dental care. Lack of mobility is an ongoing issue for those older citizens living in a long-term care facilities.
Previously, they needed to rely on family members, bus transportation, or some form of service
to transport them to and from the dentist. This condition exacerbated the dental visit experience
by increasing anxiety associated with getting to and from the visit.
We know that your senior residents in long-term care have critical needs, and we’re here to help
you meet them. Roving Dental Hygiene Services has immeasurable value in this situation. This
type of care is accomplished through a simple consultation followed by as many visits to the
resident as necessary to correct existing conditions and establish an oral hygiene routine.
Once this program is in place, participants in the long-term care setting will benefit. The
caregivers will have the tools needed to maintain and identify conditions worthy of further care.
And the patients benefit by having ongoing intervention and attention to their critically crucial oral health.
Advantages of having a Dental Hygienist
The advantages are obvious, and the alternatives still need to produce the outcomes of
residential, mobile dental hygiene care. Our senior residents are entitled to the preventive care
critical to their survival, and Roving Dental Hygiene has created an extremely viable solution.
If you or your loved one are looking for an in-home mobile dental hygienist in Kingston or the
surrounding area, please contact Karen at Roving Dental Hygiene. Phone 613 770 3801 and Email karen@rovingdentalhygiene.com