“How do you brush your teeth with your jaw wired shut?”

That’s a great question if you can’t open your mouth such as with this situation. You can brush what you see and I would prescribe the use of a water pick, which will allow the user to irrigate in between the teeth. I would have the patient rinse with oral mouthwashes and avoid foods that have particles, unfortunately, the forced diet suck with very little food options. I’m not a fan of steak shakes, but one has to look at the end game in these situations.

You should have access to the outside of the teeth. An electric toothbrush would help. Go light on the toothpaste. Several anti-bacterial rinses are available. A low sugar diet is highly recommended.

A WIRED JAW WILL MAKE ORAL HYGIENE DIFFICULT. MOST OF YOUR FOOD INTAKE WILL BE IN LIQUID FORM. YOU CAN TRY A CHILD'S SOFT TOOTHBRUSH. YOU START BEHIND THE LAST TOOTH IN A LOWER OR UPPER CORNER OF YOUR MONTH. GENTLY START AT THE GUM LINE AND BRUSH BACK AND FORTH. GO ALL AROUND TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE. RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN ONLY DO THE OUTSIDE CHEEK SIDE. WHEN THE WIRES ARE GONE, YOU WILL BRUSH BEHIND THE LAST TOOTH AND DO THE GUM LINE BACK AND FORTH WHERE YOUR PALATE AND TONGUE ARE. YOU WILL BRUSH THE GUM LINE AREA, AND THE UPPER SIDES AND THE LOWER SIDES OF YOUR TEETH. YOUR UPPER AND LOWER TEETH ARE WIRED AND YOU WANT TO BRUSH THE TEETH YOU CAN. WHEN YOUR WIRES COME OFF, YOU WILL WANT TO FLOSS. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE THOSE FLOSSERS THAT A PIECE OF FLOSS IS STRETCHED A CROSS. THERE ARE THIN, SMALL STICKS THAT HAVE LITTLE BRUSHES ON THEM. WHEN YOU PLACE THE STICK BETWEEN TWO TEETH, YOU GENTLY CLEAN THE BACK OF ONE TOOTH AND THE FRONT OF THE TOOTH IN BACK. USING A TOOTH IRRIGATOR FROM THE BACK OF ONE ARCH AND GOING AROUND THE GUM LINE TO THE OTHER SIDE MAY BE AN EXPERIENCE OF A CLEAN MOUTH YOU MAY WANT TO CONTINUE. RINSING WITH WARM SALT WATER IS SOOTHING TO YOUR MOUTH TISSUES. ONE HALF TEASPOON OF SALT TO AN 8 OZ. GLASS OF WARM WATER. I DO NOT KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY MISSING TEETH WHERE YOU CAN REACH INSIDE THE PALATE OR TONGUE TEETH AREAS. WATCH YOUR JUNK FOOD INTAKE. AFTER EATING, IT MAY BE A GOOD IDEA TO RINSE YOUR MOUTH WITH SOME WARM SALT WATER. SOME WATER IRRIGATORS ARE ADVERTISED AS BEING FLOSSERS. FINGER FLOSSING, BRUSHING, TONGUE CLEANING, AND WATER IRRIGATORS PROVIDE THE CADILLAC OF MOUTH CARE.

Hopefully, you received that information from your provider. In addition, I would recommend use of a stannous fluoride gel 3 times a day. Instructions are on the product. This helps increase resistance to decay, makes it harder for bacteria to stick to your teeth, and reduces the risk of gingivitis. The book GROWING A HEALTHY CHILD, SECRETS FROM A WISE OLD DOC has the most complete information about oral hygiene.