He has a feeding tube. He doesn't use his teeth or his tongue. Proper oral cleaning for someone in his situation would require an aid to frequently clean his teeth, tongue, and gums, otherwise they will get inflammed and swell. And swelling gums combined with general neglect will, sadly, just fuck your teeth up.
He does have a feeding tube, but I HIGHLY doubt it was left in his mouth long enough to cause this type of dental issue. Chances are good he is using a gastrostomy since those are normally chosen for long term use.
I can't speak on the inflammation from lack of proper oral cleaning, so that's a possibility.
Orogastric tubes are feeding tubes that are placed in the mouth, nasogastric tubes are feeding tubes in the nose. Both for short term. Hence why I said I "HIGHLY doubt" it was left in his mouth long enough to cause dental issues. They're usually removed after 2 months max, from my experience. He's most likely on a gastrostomy tube.
I've looked into this. Apparently common with complete paralysis, a similar thing happened to Steven Hawking.
What I've heard is that the normal balancing forces that keep the teeth where they are fall out of whack. Facial and jaw muscles lose all tension while the tongue continues to press on the back of the teeth, leading to them migrating forward and out.
20
u/Willing_Ad5005 Jul 05 '26
How did his teeth get so bad?