My 92yo mother lives with me. I believe she is nearing the end of her life, although she could rally and fool us all. She has an appointment with a dental hygienist in November. What with appointments she herself cancelled, then COVID, and now a shortage of hygienists, she hasn’t had her teeth cleaned for about 4 or 5 years. She won’t brush her teeth regularly, so that is something I, as her caregiver, must push her to do.
I think she will get very agitated with the hygienist and refuse to cooperate. I have noticed her pain threshold is very low now. e.g. the slightest pull when I’m carefully combing her hair and she cries out.
She hasn’t complained about any problems or pain with her teeth. Her breath doesn’t smell. I wonder if I should force her to go through the cleaning. Thoughts?
- she's near the "end of her life", so what's the poinit of teeth cleaning and stressing her out?
- she won't cooperate once you even get her to the dentist. They may even insist on a full set of xrays before performing the cleaning. Been there, done that with my in-laws.
I know it's heartbreaking to think of our elders possibly losing teeth, especially if they were diligent earlier in their life, but it's really a minor part of the bigger picture. At least she lives with you and you have the ability to make sure she gets routine oral care, unlike those in many facilities.
If you are concerned about getting a dental exam, see if there are any special needs dentists in your area and/or ask if they will do the exam without the cleaning.
You run the risk of finding a problem that requires a possibly painful procedure, but you can weigh the costs and benefits at the time. You might act if you find out she is likely to have a toothache in the next six months, since going to a dentist when one is already in pain can be worse than having the chance to use anti-anxiety meds to get through preventing the problem from getting to that point.
With my mother it was the b/p cuff. You may have thought she was dying.
I would not put Mom through a cleaning. You would know if she was having any problems because her breath would smell like rotten eggs. Nighttime would be the best time for her to brush really well. There are little sponges full of toothpaste that can be used for brushing.
https://www.amazon.com/ZIZNBA-Disposable-Unflavored-Sponge-Swabs%EF%BC%8CTooth/dp/B077W223MF/ref=asc_df_B077W223MF/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241948599983&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2369509496384872770&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003829&hvtargid=pla-406776595429&psc=1
Some folks are lucky to have good teeth genetically, and not require a lot of trips to the dentist in the first place; no cavities, no root canals, etc. My mother had a good number of her natural teeth at 95 years old, and her gums were in pretty good shape as well! Which is why I was able to keep her dentist visits to an emergency basis only, thankfully.
Keep your mom calm at all costs, and allow the end of her life to be as relaxed as humanly possible, that's my advice.
Best of luck.