Oral Health Care for Patients with Diabetes (Nursing)

00:01 Okay now you have to decide based on Mr. Sanchez.

00:05 What's the best way to educate him about all these.

00:08 Do I want him to be able to know the fancy words periodontitis, gingivitis, xerostomia.

00:14 Now I don't care if he knows the real words for it, but I want him to know that, hey, because you're diabetic just pay attention for these types of problems.

00:21 If they happen, let us know, we can help you work through it, because Mr. Sanchez, you may have a higher level of glucose in your saliva, oral care is really important.

00:33 Then you can brush and floss or floss and brush whichever order you prefer, it really doesn't matter, but it's important to brush and floss your teeth daily.

00:43 Now, if you're finding it hard to do like macrame and then get that in your mouth, completely understand but there's so many products that are like little picks that it's already threaded for you.

00:55 You can easily get in between your teeth.

00:57 So suggest that he used one of those.

01:00 Listen if it's complicated, nobody is going to be able to follow that day after day.

01:05 They'll just give up, so always look for ways when you're talking to your patients like Mr. Sanchez, how can I make this simple for them? How can I make this doable for them? Now the third one might seem kind of weird.

01:17 But if he has the resources to get an electric toothbrush does a much more efficient job in removing plaque.

01:25 So, you know, you're not studying to be a dentist.

01:28 Why are we talking about so much oral care? Because that's what we do.

01:33 As nurses we look at the whole patient inside and out and see how we can help them have a better life.

01:40 Now lastly you need a professional, right? Encourage Mr. Sanchez to go and get his teeth professionally cleaned, every six months if that's possible.

01:50 So you always want to be sensitive, don't assume that everyone can pay for what you're recommending.

01:55 Ask them, Hey, is it possible for you to go to the dentist? How often do you go to the dentist? What do you not like about going to the dentist? Tell me about your experience so we can figure out, is it financial, Is it psychological like that is uncomfortable and I don't want to do it, but we are the problem solvers, remember is nurse scientists, we're collecting clues in cubes along the way to figure out how we can best assess his needs and make the most effective clinical decisions.