Sons teeth

[Peediedj67]

Very concerned about my son,s teeth, hes special needs and takes around 20 tablets a day for various problems, goes to a special needs dentist. Last visited the dentist in Nov 2018, and hasnt been since because of covid. Started being concerned about the state of his teeth in May this year, email his dentist with my concerns, in Aug she asked me to send photos, she replied back that she wasnt overly concerned just had a build up of calculas on some teeth.

Last few months i have been concerned his teeth are getting worse and gums seem to be receeding, gaps between teeth and looks like a tooth has moved. Dentist scheduled a appointment for end Of Nov, but due to my son having his covid booster the day before and various anxiety issues he didnt go, appointment was rescheduled for 27th Feb, 3 months after original, i feel every day his teeth look worse, and this is to long to wait, contacted dentist the other day and she said once dentist reopens on 5th Jan they,ll try and get a earlier appointment for him, but my fear is if we cant get him to go again, this drags on and on and ends up losing his teeth!

He seems to constantly have bad breath, gums are very white, and gums seem to be as if bones is close to surface on all 4 sides like a white line all way round, He doesnt have much communication so cant tell us if it hurts, but gums ARENT bleeding and tolerates us brushing them. i get so stressed out about his teeth and lost it a few times over festive period worrying about them, Can anyone help me

 

[Gordon]

What age is he?
Does he have capacity to decline treatment? This might make things a bit tricky...

Gum disease is a very slow and lengthy process, so it's very unlikely that there's much deterioration in the last few months.

 

[Peediedj67]

Hes 24 yo, as say last seen a dentist 3 years ago,so probably been in decline since then,Its hard brushing his teeth properly because he cant do it himself, hes also on a lot of medication some of them make his mouth dry, not sure if that contribures?

He cant decline as such dental treatment, as my wife and i make all his decisions, but as hes also autistic takes weeks to prepare him for things that are different to his routine, and even when hes prepared anxiety usually kicks in before it happens

 

[letsconnect]

Hi @Peediedj67, @Gordon usually drops in once a day, so do check back tomorrow ?. In the meantime, here's a great website with resources for brushing someone else's teeth:

Home

Brushing better together Brushing better together We hope to improve your oral health. We particularly want to help people who find mouth cleaning difficult. Whether you’re a brusher, a helper, or a healthcare professional, we have made videos to

brushmyteeth.ie

Maybe some of the tips and materials there might be useful to you!

 

[Gordon]

Thanks for the answers.

24 is very young to have serious gum issues, however if you can't manage to get good oral hygiene sorted out (and believe me, I understand how difficult it is for you) then you're going to be up against it in the long term I'm afraid, so it's important to make a start on it as soon as possible. It might be possible to see him in a more familiar environment at some stage, rather than going into Raigmore, which might be easier for him, but I can't promise this just now thanks to Covid.

The dry mouth is a bigger issue for decay than for gum disease, is he limited in what drinks he will take? Ideally you don't want him sipping on juice all day long because his mouth is dry, but given his autism would that be a problem?

Having said all that, the special needs team at Raigmore is excellent and you're going to be in very good hands. Tell Rhona I said hi if you see her.

 

[Peediedj67]

He drinks diluting juice upto dinner time (no fizzy drinks) then has cold mint tea with his evening meal.
He used to see Rhona and we have been in communication with her, a new communtiy hospital has opened across the road from us in Aviemore so hes being refered there which is easier for us, but he missed his 1st appointment there.Rhona was great with him last appointmenet (in 2018) but different dentist now as local

 

[Gordon]

Diluting juice is still acidic and with a load of sugar in it... can you try to keep it to meal times?
I've been retired 3 years now, there have been a fair few changes. Is Elma still in Aviemore?

Might be young David in the new clinic who was trained by Rhona and is very good.

 

[Peediedj67]

Even sugar free? To be fair he doesnt drink much of it anyway, Its Elma hes been refered to in Aviemore now

 

[Gordon]

Yes, there is fructose in it and it's acidic. The problem is if he's sipping on it all day, if he just has a glass every now and again it's less of an issue.

Elma is lovely and very good at what she does. Give her my best wishes when you see her.