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Mom needs to go to the dentist however, she has Alzheimer's what might you recommend and who in the Myrtle Beach area SC

She has a partial and hasn't been seen in a couple of years - last time was a nightmare - for her - the dentist - assistant and myself. She got terribly angry kicking - wouldn't open her mouth - had tools in it - (had a cavity) that needed to be fixed.

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My boss's wife had Alzheimer's and he found that going to a dentist who specializes in children worked for him.... the dentist is use to patients not opening their mouth and kicking.

Suggest your call your Area Council on Aging to see whom they would recommend, or call around the children dentist and see which ones take Alzheimer's patients.
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Can she get a sedative before she goes to the dentist and once there has light anesthetic while the filling is done. Is the dentist still willing to see her. otherwise try and find another dentist who can cope with her
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In our area there is a traveling special needs dentist with a decked out dental bus. Call a Geriatric Care Manager in your area they can likely make a recommendation. A pediatric dentist can also be a solution.
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When you call for an appointment, ask if the dentist is experienced in handling either children or dementia patients. If the problem is not bothering her, decide whether or not the trauma is worth it, after all, she has a terminal disease.
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I use a dentist that specializes in working with geriatric patients with Alzheimer's. She actually comes to my Dad's facility and does the work in his room. It's worked out great and my Dad feels at home . I would call the Alzheimer's association in your area or even an Assisted living with an Alzheimer's unit. They may know of one. Good luck. If all else fails I would use a pill to calm her down. Talk to her doctor about that. She should be going to a geriatric doctor if she has Alzheimer's. Try to find one.
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Maybe you can give her a valium or something to relax her before you go to the dentist...then he can put her to sleep, so he can work on her teeth.
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I would think that you will have to find a dentist who would give her a low dose sedative such as diazepam enabling the dentist to work on her.. Else if the remaining teeth are not addressed it should cause a problem in the body with infections.
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Interesting answers. Every AD patient is unique and in general terms, I wouldn't mess with any sedation. Even the freezing might not be good. Unless she is in pain, I would leave her teeth alone. AD is a progressive disease, from which most patients pass away. In her right mind, do you think that she would want her teeth messed with. Is it going to improve her quality of life?
I know these are very tough questions, but more and more geriatricians and other professionals are teaching newly diagnosed dementia patients how to firmly and legally outline the care that they wish because the majority of them do not want to prolong their lives, and they also don't want to suffer.
While infections are not good for dementia patients, I would suggest that if it appears to be critical to their quality of life, find a geriatric hygienist who can clean the teeth and keep an eye out for any infections.
My Mom is 95 and her teeth are mostly stubs now. She fully refuses any dental work because she won't spend the money (touch of dementia), and she doesn't care if she gets an infection and dies. She is living a lovely life, but she is so ready to stop living at this point in her life.
I think we have to think about the wishes of the patient. Just my two cents.
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It's always a good idea to know what you can do in the event that a severe toothache suddenly happens! Dying or not...we don't want anyone in that kind of pain!
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A cure could be found for Alzheimers any day. Always hope for the best. Keep her teeth intact and pain free.
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Sjk911: Sorry to disagree with you, but that is completely incorrect. If she has an infection in any tooth, that is going to go into her blood stream! I have a 56 y.o. friend who had to lose over 14 teeth because she never took care of them! But if this person wants to "check out of life" early, yea then totally go with the no dentist approach.
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I think it should be a note to all of for our own future or those we may end up caring for - get any dental work done ahead. Especially because either finances or the individual health may become a major hurdle. For myself I am thinking of my problems with sedation, often time sedation of any sort is complicated because it does not work well with me. I would hate to be have a problem of a tooth that had gone sour and deal with Alzheimer's, Dementia, or a heart condition and yet be in pain. Another thing is my mother who suffered from these things and more was once transferred temporarily to another town/hospital and in the process her dentures were lost. Neither the hospital or the nursing home would claim responsibility for the loss and until family could pay for the dentures she was without teeth. This also happened with her eye glasses. So it's something to be aware of ahead of need, a fund to cover these things if possible. I hope your mother is able to find the care which she needs.
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