Hospice provides oral sponges for dental cleaning. My husband bites down on it so I have to make sure he doesn’t take a bite out of it. I was using mouthwash to clean his mouth with but I found a tube of baby mouth cleaner in the guest bathroom (I guess it belonged to the grandchildren). It looks ok so I have been using that and it won’t hurt to swallow it. I give him several sips of water and try to get him to swish. Sometimes he will and sometimes he won’t.

Shop Sage Homecare Products, formerly Sage Products has a line of oral care that includes toothette swabs. If you can manage to get altleast a swab scrub is better than nothing. You can search them on google.

I’m only able to get a brush in her mouth to brush the outer surfaces. She clinches and will not allow the brush to get the inner surfaces. I put a very small amount of toothpaste in the brush. I also dip the brush in mouthwash while brushing. I use a syringe to squirt water in her mouth to rinse her mouth out with paper towels under her chin. (she’s bed ridden)
There’s no easy way when it comes to their teeth. You do the best you can and hope for the best.
I would be careful with sedation as it may possibly set them back, cognitively speaking.

I have quit taking my husband to the dentist because it is too traumatic for him and he doesn't want to comply with the dentist at times. I try to get him to brush his teeth but I'm not going to battle him to do it. I will have to take him if he develops a toothache or other problem but won't for now as it is not worth the trauma it causes him.

Teepa Snow has a web site and she has instructions on how to get them to do they teeth.