Need Special Toothbrush for my Son (or some advice for training him)

[naaman]

Well...

My son is mentally retarded and has trouble bushing his teeth properly (lack of fine motor skills). He understands intellecutally how to brush his teeth, but a combination of increased difficulty, laziness, and being accustomed to his mommy doing everything for him are keeping him from learning how to do it properly.

Since I came into his life, I have been able to train him to do things that my wife though he was incapable of. But teeth brushing is a serious issue, especially since he inherited weak teeth from his biological father.

I do believe that he can be trained (eventually) to properly brush his teeth, but when unsupervised, he tends to just "rub" the tooth brush against his teeth (without regard for whether the bristles are actually in contact with his teeth). Or else he just sucks the yummy toothpaste off the toothbrush and calls it "good."

I have been looking for a toothbrush with 360-degree bristles (like a bottle brush), which I think would solve his problem, but I cannot seem to find one (that is, if they even exist).

Anybody know of such a device? Since I've known my son, he has been to the dentist I-don't-know how many times for fillings, caps, or pulled teeth... I just want to make sure that he doesn't loose all of his adult teeth to poor oral hygiene (he's almost 10 years old, and has a significant amount of adult teeth already).

Right this minute I have him practicing brushing his teeth over and over again...:redface:

 

[Biscuit]

Well...

My son is mentally retarded and has trouble bushing his teeth properly (lack of fine motor skills). He understands intellecutally how to brush his teeth, but a combination of increased difficulty, laziness, and being accustomed to his mommy doing everything for him are keeping him from learning how to do it properly.

Since I came into his life, I have been able to train him to do things that my wife though he was incapable of. But teeth brushing is a serious issue, especially since he inherited weak teeth from his biological father.

I do believe that he can be trained (eventually) to properly brush his teeth, but when unsupervised, he tends to just "rub" the tooth brush against his teeth (without regard for whether the bristles are actually in contact with his teeth). Or else he just sucks the yummy toothpaste off the toothbrush and calls it "good."

I have been looking for a toothbrush with 360-degree bristles (like a bottle brush), which I think would solve his problem, but I cannot seem to find one (that is, if they even exist).

Anybody know of such a device? Since I've known my son, he has been to the dentist I-don't-know how many times for fillings, caps, or pulled teeth... I just want to make sure that he doesn't loose all of his adult teeth to poor oral hygiene (he's almost 10 years old, and has a significant amount of adult teeth already).

Right this minute I have him practicing brushing his teeth over and over again...:redface:

Snap On tools sells a set of brushes designed to clean out the nozzles on paint guns. They are 360 degree and soft. Theyre made with a plastic stlye bristol almost identical to a toothbrush. Let me know if you cant find any and ill order you some.

 

[docjohn]

PM DocL or jalnjr

 

[hollywoodgarbage]

i'll pm you some info

 

[davidf]

You sir are one hell of a good stepdad. Many men would run from that situation. You are right up there with Superman in my book.:wink::smile:

 

[SMYLDOC]

I have been in dentistry for 29 years, 6 as general dentist and 21 as an orthodontist.

I highly recommend the Sonicare toothbrush from Phillips. I have seen huge improvement when patients use this.

It cleans sonically, it does all the work your son cannot do

These are widely available, Wallmart, Target, Sam's, Costco, etc

Get his favorite toothpaste such as grape or bubble gum

Good Luck & God Bless

 

[White92]

I would think a 360 degree brush would irritate the gums and inside of his cheeks. I like the Sonic Care idea.

 

[DocL]

First of all, do not use anything other than an ADA approved toothbrush. Second, if he has motor skills problems grasping the toothbrush and properly using it, you can get one of the sponge type bicycle handlebar grips, cut it to size, and put it on the handle of the toothbrush. This will allow him to hold it better and make it easier for him to learn the skills to use it properly. Also as previously mentioned, you can a Sonicare brush, but that may be a little too much to begin with. Every pharmacy sells a childrens electric spin brush. It's cheap and once he learns how to use it you can upgrade to a Sonicare. If you find that he is still having difficulty brushing his teeth, you may want to take him to the dentist for a cleaning every three months with Fluoride treatment.

 

[NSXAMG996TT]

Right this minute I have him practicing brushing his teeth over and over again...:redface:

You Sir are doing all the right things. A large part of my practice deals with elderly nursing home patients who cannot brush their own teeth due to laziness, nurses brushing for them, and/or no motor skills left. Sometimes we will custom fabricate a toothbrush which looks like a round circular toy with a brush at the end to facilitate ease of grip and brushing motions. FLOSSING??? Another key aspect is just better left for you to do for him as it can be overly frustrating to learn early on.

Again, all of the above advices are important points to add to your regimen.
Any patient having any signs of poor oral hygiene should see their dentist every 3 months, use daily fluoride rinses (ie ACT), and even have their teeth sealed with a fluoride varnish. BTW, if you need a Sonicare I can get my rep to send your son one out to try for free.

 

[steveny]

Hi Naaman,
This is Renee, Steve's wife. I came across this thread and thought I would drop in to respond.

First off, you are a wonderful and caring person. I know many families that would just let the child's teeth rot out of their head, and not understand why... I see it all the time.

Before Steve and I got into Real Estate, I was a Speech-Language Pathologist working with Early Intervention and School Age children. A few of the toothbrushes I used to use are:

This is more for infants and children that are hypersensitive. They are $2.95 each or $31.95 for a 12 pack

This toothbrush is good for children with fine motor skill delays. The child has the handle for grasping and the toothbrush can only be pushed so far in the mouth so they can not hurt themselves. These are $3.50 each.

This toothbrush is bumped up on the handle to make it easier to hold. This would be for older children that have problems grasping smaller objects. These are $3.50 for a 3 pack.

All of the above can be ordered through www.beyondplay.com . There are also many more toys and tools on there for use with developmentally delayed children. This is where I ordered most of my supplies.

I hope this info helps and good luck to you and your family.

 

[naaman]

Wow, Cool

So much feedback.

I've just did some research on the Sonicare toothbrush. I like how it works, since one of his problems is that when I watch him scrub his teeth, I can tell he is not exerting enough pressure against their surface to really clean them (i.e. just rubbing his teeth).

He currently uses an electric toothbrush (conventional), and I got some flouride rinse for him.

One other thing that's a little frustrating... when I took my current job, I was under the impression that my family would be covered by all the same insurance that I have... But I recently found out that they're only covered for medical... (lame )

So anyway, my wife and I are in the process of comparing our insurances to see which one is going to be the best for our son's needs (my wife and I both have teeth that frequently impress dentists, so we won't be using the coverage nearly as much as him).

Any tips on how to choose which one will work best (i.e. balance between best service for least out-of-pocket)? With mine, I get diagnostic, preventive, and emergency services for free (so I can get his teeth sealed at no cost to me), with everything else being "cost-shared." It ranges from 20% to 50% out-of-pocket. I still don't know my wife's benefits, as she's just started working at her new job.

(It's funny: I oringinally joined this forum to talk about NSXs, but now, 99.9999% of the time I spend on here is in the off topic section... definitely a close-knit (sp?) community).

 

[White92]

You could probably check out some state programs for him. I'm sure there are some out there. Or should be. Or used to be before lots of cuts like other states.

 

[crxracer64]

One other thing that's a little frustrating... when I took my current job, I was under the impression that my family would be covered by all the same insurance that I have... But I recently found out that they're only covered for medical... (lame )

So anyway, my wife and I are in the process of comparing our insurances to see which one is going to be the best for our son's needs (my wife and I both have teeth that frequently impress dentists, so we won't be using the coverage nearly as much as him).

Any tips on how to choose which one will work best (i.e. balance between best service for least out-of-pocket)? With mine, I get diagnostic, preventive, and emergency services for free (so I can get his teeth sealed at no cost to me), with everything else being "cost-shared." It ranges from 20% to 50% out-of-pocket. I still don't know my wife's benefits, as she's just started working at her new job.

Hi, Naaman. I work for an insurance broker and if you'd like, I could have my benefits department compare the two packages to see which one would best fit what you are looking for. We deal with many health providers and are more than familiar with the options here in WA. Hit me up on PM with your plans if you'd like me to look into them for you.

I admire you for taking on that kind of responsibility. You are a good man for what you are doing and how you are handling it. Good on you!

 

[naaman]

NSXAMG996TT: Do you have email? I can't PM you...