My husband won’t let me brush his teeth now and the dentist told me to scrape the back of his tongue which causes bad breath. What do I do?

Jujg, I have been thinking about your problem and I was wondering if trying a children's toothpaste might encourage your husband to let you brush his teeth. Adult ones tend to be hot and if he has any gum issues, which is likely, it is probably very uncomfortable, if not painful.

Anyway, just a thought since most elderly still enjoy sweets and it is sweet and can be swallowed with no harm.

Let us know.

Have the hygienist show you how, there should be no gag, if there is, you are going to far back.

I have scraped for years and never had any ill reaction. If this is done right, it is fast and effective. You only need to get that scraper in there a couple of times to start, then you will do as many as you need to or can. I would do it once as frequently as possible. Make a game of having him stick his tongue out at you, that would be a good start. Oral health effects our entire bodies, people die from tooth abscesses.

He doesn't allow you to brush his teeth and the dentist thinks he might cooperate with getting his tongue scraped? That doesn't sound like a good plan to me.

There is a mouthwash called Therabreath that is very effective for bad breath. But you need to rinse for a whole minute without swallowing. Could your husband do that?

Scraping as far back as you should may cause him to gag. It does me.

Buy a tongue scraper. Go online and look at the type that you think will be useful. There are many different styles. He may even want to brush after having his tongue scraped, he will be able to taste the funk.

Yeah, bad breath from bad hygiene can smell up the entire house. I wish you luck, that is a deal breaker for me.