My dad has all his uppers surgically removed at 75 and it improved his health.
You may know this, but an oral infection is potentially deadly. An untreated abscess can cause death. Oral care is probably the most important thing we can do for ourselves.
I refused to let them put dentures in until his gums were healed and the swelling was gone, his pain receptors are all wonky and he would have been in danger of problems. All his teeth but 2 were broke off at the gum line and only the roots were left and it didn't bother him. My dentist said he has never seen anyone in that shape with no pain.
Best of luck getting it done. We were under 4k for the entire process, well worth it for his health.
Please accept my apology on my rant about dentists and senior citizens. That was a personal experience I had, and not all dentists, of course are like that.
On the other note, my aunt's primary doctor wanted me to have my aunt get her teeth looked at and perhaps removed. She went into palliative care and they said, no, she has dementia, and she may not understand it.
Please do check with her primary doctor and get another opinion, and ask elderly if they can understand what's going on. Dentures, will they understand dentures? Do dentures come out? And if so, will they be misplaced or lost? Does insurance cover it? are they on soft foods now? What is the elder's diet right now and overall health physical and mental?
Mom's dentist retired, and young-un took over the facility very aggressively to pay for his college loans. Started putting venures on her back teeth where nobody can see. Before he got done with one side, he was going to the other side of the mouth.
She cried thinking her mouth was falling apart. I went to office and saw the whole lobby full of seniors sitting around waiting to see the dentist. I moved quickly and got mom into see my dentist.
THAT MAN WAS A FULL ON ..... JERK! I WANTED TO SMASH HIS BRAND NEW BMW TO BITS. AND I WANTED TO SMASH HIM TO BITS AND TELL ALL THOSE POOR SENIORS TO GET THE HELL OUT OF THAT OFFICE.
I am getting angry again thinking about it. That was over 10 years ago.
My husband, who at 66 is not elderly (thank you very much lol) had all his uppers removed at an oral surgeon’s office under “conscious sedation” several weeks ago due to gum disease. He was given propophol IV and didn’t remember anything about the procedure. He received those temporary dentures as well. Hubby tolerated these removals quite well - we didn’t even fill his post procedure prescription for Percocet - he was ok with Advil 600mg 3-4 times a day.
Now we are working to plan the removal of the bottom teeth. I don’t know if I would have uppers and lowers removed in the same sitting however. Hubby still can’t eat a lot telling me his dentures are falling out when he eats. We are hoping the permanent dentures fit better so he can eat more.
We were referred to an oral surgeon by his regular dentist who didn’t do that kind of extractions. Two dentists worked on him during the procedure.
Good luck! He should do fine.
The bigger issue? The cost. Ridiculously expensive.
I go with faerie, I know they put dentures right in but I would wait till they heal especially with a diabetic.
Your husband may feel better. Gum desease is an infection that gets into your system and can make you sick. Years ago a friend had all his teeth removed for gum desease and they waited to put the dentures in till the infection was gone.
thank you so much, JoAnn & fairy files. you have eased my concerns. Yes, it's my husband, and yes, 66 is not THAT old, but his health is bad. We will see the dentist in a week, and I want to know more about what i need to know so i can ask the important questions.
If he can be talked into letting the gums heal completely before they fit him for teeth it will be less painful for him and once the gums have shrunk down from the tooth removal the teeth will fit better. The same day dentures always end up hurting more and after the swelling goes down in the gums they are often too loose. The hard part about that is the social embarrassment of walking around with no teeth.
If you're talking about your husband who has diabetes and heart disease and his teeth are bad enough to need to come out you may have no other option. Gum infections and the related bleeding caused by bad teeth can be life threatening when combined with diabetes and heart disease. I agree with @JoAnn29 that an oral surgeon is a better choice than a dentist for the procedure. The biggest challenge with dentures is to get the person adjusted to the new ones once the old teeth are out. That will be simpler without any cognitive impairment to complicate the matter.
Are you talking about your husband? Your profile says he is 66 and thst is not elderly.
If your husband, I see no problem. I would ask about antibiotics and starting a pain killer, like prescripton Motrin, before the procedure. I would also opt for a Oral Surgeon over a dentist. Gums usually heal pretty well.
Now if you are talking about someone in their 80s, i would weigh the options. Is there gum disease that is effecting their health? Will them going under effect them cognitively?
8 Answers
Helpful Newest
First Oldest
First
You may know this, but an oral infection is potentially deadly. An untreated abscess can cause death. Oral care is probably the most important thing we can do for ourselves.
I refused to let them put dentures in until his gums were healed and the swelling was gone, his pain receptors are all wonky and he would have been in danger of problems. All his teeth but 2 were broke off at the gum line and only the roots were left and it didn't bother him. My dentist said he has never seen anyone in that shape with no pain.
Best of luck getting it done. We were under 4k for the entire process, well worth it for his health.
On the other note, my aunt's primary doctor wanted me to have my aunt get her teeth looked at and perhaps removed. She went into palliative care and they said, no, she has dementia, and she may not understand it.
Please do check with her primary doctor and get another opinion, and ask elderly if they can understand what's going on. Dentures, will they understand dentures? Do dentures come out? And if so, will they be misplaced or lost? Does insurance cover it? are they on soft foods now? What is the elder's diet right now and overall health physical and mental?
ADVERTISEMENT
Mom's dentist retired, and young-un took over the facility very aggressively to pay for his college loans. Started putting venures on her back teeth where nobody can see. Before he got done with one side, he was going to the other side of the mouth.
She cried thinking her mouth was falling apart. I went to office and saw the whole lobby full of seniors sitting around waiting to see the dentist. I moved quickly and got mom into see my dentist.
THAT MAN WAS A FULL ON ..... JERK! I WANTED TO SMASH HIS BRAND NEW BMW TO BITS. AND I WANTED TO SMASH HIM TO BITS AND TELL ALL THOSE POOR SENIORS TO GET THE HELL OUT OF THAT OFFICE.
I am getting angry again thinking about it. That was over 10 years ago.
Now we are working to plan the removal of the bottom teeth. I don’t know if I would have uppers and lowers removed in the same sitting however. Hubby still can’t eat a lot telling me his dentures are falling out when he eats. We are hoping the permanent dentures fit better so he can eat more.
We were referred to an oral surgeon by his regular dentist who didn’t do that kind of extractions. Two dentists worked on him during the procedure.
Good luck! He should do fine.
The bigger issue? The cost. Ridiculously expensive.
Your husband may feel better. Gum desease is an infection that gets into your system and can make you sick. Years ago a friend had all his teeth removed for gum desease and they waited to put the dentures in till the infection was gone.
If your husband, I see no problem. I would ask about antibiotics and starting a pain killer, like prescripton Motrin, before the procedure. I would also opt for a Oral Surgeon over a dentist. Gums usually heal pretty well.
Now if you are talking about someone in their 80s, i would weigh the options. Is there gum disease that is effecting their health? Will them going under effect them cognitively?