Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that really hinders one’s ability to do simple tasks such as brushing daily. For this and many reasons, our Los Algodones dentists are interested to talk about this topic and provide possible solutions.
First, what is Rheumatoid arthritis?
This type of arthritis is an autoimmune disease that weakens and wears down the joints. As the autoimmune word describes, it is the body itself that is targeting its own joints. The person typically experiences inflammation and swelling of the tissue and joints together with pain.
Because of this, it is common to experience:
- Joint pain.
- Stiffness.
- Swelling and inflammation of joints.
- Loss of joint functionality.
Rheumatoid arthritis is different from osteoarthritis and other forms of arthritis in that it targets both sides of the body.
Arthritis is often linked with gum disease
There has been studies that link the two together. So treating one helps a good deal with the other.
On one hand we have people with arthritis that cannot handle a toothbrush all too well. This brings the issue that they cannot brush as extensively or thoroughly as other people because the pain and swelling is a huge setback.
On the other hand there is that gum disease is an inflammatory disease in itself. As such, the fact that the person suffers from arthritis just makes the whole thing worse.
Los Algodones dentists believe that there needs to be something done in order to help. Not only are there several options and alternatives to try out, but also because oral health has a good impact on the body, as well.
What can be done to improve oral health
As arthritis is a disease that weakens your joints and turns gripping things all that more difficult, we have some alternatives that might work for you:
Making your toothbrush much easier to handle
For someone with arthritis, gripping such a thing handle means a lot of pain. So modifying your personal toothbrush to make it easier is one of the first options. The most common thing to do is making the grip wider by attaching it to, for example, a bicycle’s rubber handlebar. Other popular options are using a tennis ball, a hairbrush’s handle or even a container.
This way it becomes far easier to hold and move the toothbrus h around.
Using an electric toothbrush
This is a little bit of a more pricey option, but it does really help.
For one, electric toothbrushes are much easier to grasp as they are wider. They are bound to be thicker as they need more room inside for its many components.
And furthermore, they are electric! The task of brushing and moving around the toothbrush is cutback by having the toothbrush do almost all the work.
Flossing can be picked up, too
The most majority use dental floss picks and water flossers.
Dental floss picks are curved tools with a string of dental floss attached to one of its ends. Usually the other end is narrow enough to be used as a toothpick as well.
Water flossers, on the other hand, are pretty good at removing food particles as well as plaque. Bear in mind that they might have a little bit of trouble getting under the gum line and cleaning deep between the teeth, as opposed to traditional flossing.
You can find these and more at Los Algodones pharmacies.