Brushing Tablets May Help Seniors Who Cannot Brush Teeth

There’s no question that nursing homes have been hit hard by COVID-19. With an aged population, many of whom have underlying health conditions and live in close quarters, nursing homes have seen the spread of COVID-19 among seniors skyrocket, often disproportionately to the rest of the population. As a result, many caregivers are spending more time cleaning and tending to patients with COVID-19, and routine health care like brushing seniors’ teeth is falling by the wayside.

Naturally, this is bad news for oral health, especially since oral health is a gateway to total-body health and maintaining teeth can help ward off many illnesses, possibly including COVID-19. But a Minnesota-based company may have a solution to this increasingly common problem.

The company, Primal Health, manufactures tooth-cleansing tablets that work in lieu of brushing the teeth. Primal Health is just one tablet manufacturer with tooth-cleansing products on the market, but the company made headlines recently for donating tablets to senior care and nursing facilities.

So, do these tablets clean as well as brushing? Not exactly, but in cases where nurses and caregivers are stretched to their limits, the tablets offer some protection delivered in a manner that many seniors can handle on their own.

As for the rest of us, tooth-cleansing tablets and toothpaste tablets may not be the best option, but they can still be used in conjunction with a good oral health routine. You still need to brush at least twice a day for two minutes at a time, and you still need to floss at least once daily, but a cleansing tablet may be a great option between snacks or if you are out of the home and can’t get to a toothbrush.

If you know a senior or someone who cannot easily brush their own teeth, a simple search online can help you locate products like the one sold by Primal Health and many others that can boost oral hygiene when brushing isn’t possible.

Bottom line: Tooth-cleansing tablets certainly won’t hurt your teeth, and in combination with a regular oral health routine they can help keep the mouth feeling clean and fresh when you can’t get to a toothbrush.