Tuesday 11 March 2014

Toothpaste and the Elderly

When we are young, our parents brush our teeth for us, from the age of about 5 we are actively encouraged to brush our teeth ourselves and if we don't pass the toothpaste smell check then we are sent straight back to clean them. By the time we get to about 10 we automatically clean our teeth twice or thrice a day. As we get older we keep up this habit. However, as we get older, and the amount of teeth diminish we still clean them and soak the ones that have perhaps been popped on to a plate. 

Now, you may not have noticed but nine times out of ten, once you have cleaned your teeth you either have to blow your nose, or perhaps cough a few times. This is the reaction of the mint as it is being digested. 

However, as we perhaps start to become less able, less mentally stable or hospitalised our teeth, whether false or not do not get the same attention therefore our internal system does not get that mint sensation which triggers nasal, chest and lung reactions encouraging the phlegm to be stirred and released either through the nose or via a  cough or two. 

Sadly as we become more and more incapable of movement and of brushing our teeth all the phlegm inside our system stays still and is not given the chance to be released therefore producing more colds and congestion. As far as we are concerned it is even more important for these type of health sufferers to have their teeth brushed and/or their gums manipulated with a little spot of toothpaste and the feeling of a brush massaging both their top and bottom gums is just as important at that age as it is when you are a baby. Just by helping them with this, to us, simple chore, can move pints of phlegm on a daily basis. 

The message here is . . . if you are a carer, a nurse or just a member of the family of such a sufferer, please please actively encourage or help them to brush their teeth as often as you can, but make sure you have a hanky or something similar, because  guaranteed their nasal system will be triggered to work and the mint that has trickled down through the lungs will encourage them to cough.

On behalf of many sufferers ' thank you'  for taking time to understand the importance of cleaning teeth 







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