Should I be worried about infection? She's not in any pain and still has a healthy appetite. She has regular hygienist appointments every 3 months and there was not a concern about her teeth until her last visit. But, to me the teeth she has left don't look good. The tooth that fell out was already loose from her bridge rubbing on it in the past. The dentist is coming out to check on her but I don't know if she'll allow him to check out her teeth. What would you do?
My aunt is 99 with advanced dementia and she stopped wearing her partials and bridges. Her dentist filed (or cut) down the teeth in those areas and she does still have other teeth, but is missing about 50% of them. She still manages to eat most foods. Chasing after dental care can be a black hole of time and money with very little gain for the LO. Your mom's health and comfort is the goal, so monitoring for infection would be my strategy going forward.
Do the least you can possibly do for your mother's teeth/mouth situation, that's my advice. As long as she can eat, she's good to go. If she's like my mother, she can wolf down ice cream like there's no tomorrow and they need NO teeth to do that! LOL
Do I look like the Tooth Fairy?? 😄
I was there today with er hospice nurse, and we checked her mouth to find out she's not missing A tooth -- she's missing three!
The nurse said that absent an infection or red swollen gums, loosing teeth is just another of the indignities of old age. You adjust their diet as needed and move on.
Not in a million years would I subject my mother to a dentist, bridges, or dentures at this point, so we'll just soften up some of her meals (she consumes very little beyond Ensure anyway) and continue as before.
I agree! Why can’t people be like sharks that generate new teeth when others fall out? LOL.
God goofed with designing our teeth!
Funny thing is one of the last times I went to our "family" dentist (childhood+), the hygienist took x-rays and asked me if I had my wisdom teeth out. I should think they would know whether or not I had any to begin with, since they take x-rays every year! I said no. So she said I don't have any. Good. My wisdom wasn't wasted on teeth AND I won't have to have them removed!
for your mom, I also would not recommend a new denture, partial or bridge etc. keep the teeth she has cleaned with anti cavity toothpaste and a mild fluoride mouthwash like Act to help prevent decay. It would be helpful if she can have the hygienist continue to help maintain the ones she has left. If she has dry mouth, the fluoride rinse is even more important. Bioteen makes great products for dry mouth. Find them on the dental aisle of a drug store.
Have the dentist come and check her out anyway. He'll probably tell you the same thing. It's still important to keep up on her oral hygiene though. Even though her remaining teeth don't look good there could be nothing actually wrong with them.
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