A very kind gentleman in his 80s came for his annual periodontal re-evaluation. He was medically fit but suffered Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
He brushed twice daily with an electric brush and used 3 sizes of interdental brushes. Unfortunately his oral hygiene remained sub optimal around the whole mouth.
He had 4 upper dental implants are the posterior region that presented with inflammation around all of them. Early bone loss was noted on the upper right implants. With the implants being at the back of the mouth and placed quite high up, cleaning these were a clear challenge for any patient, which explained why they were no longer healthy.
The gentleman was seen for a few visits over a 6-month period to gradually improve his implant and overall periodontal health. Professional treatment was carried out around the implants, but the key focus of the appointments was to help him improve his plaque control at home. All the interdental brushes were sized and the patient shown how to correctly use these and a single tuft brush around all areas of the mouth.
Despite the limitations of dexterity and knowledge retention due to the dementia, the patient was highly motivated. Together we managed to restore his implants to a much healthier state. The results were not perfect but as good a result that could achieve in a difficult case like this.
Another case that highlights the difference an effective oral care regime can make to dental and implant health.