My Mom has issues with her teeth. Any advice?

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Original post is from 2014

I don't think Medicare pays for ANY dental care!

Our father has dementia and his POA agent immediately blocked both daughters from getting any information about him once he went into a crisis and the POA agent took over. At one point, he wouldn't allow us to see our father for 4 months, until we got an attorney who made it possible for us to see him. The last time we saw him 4 months ago, his teeth were beautiful and healthy. He treated them like gold his whole life, electric toothbrush, waterpic, flossing all the time. I mean he was really OCD about his teeth. The last time we saw him, he was brushing and flossing daily. When we finally saw him after 4 months of living in a nursing facility, his teeth were completely rotting. I have never seen anything so gross that close up. I was completely horrified. Since he won't eat hardly anything, they have him living on chocolate "Mighty Shakes" which is basically Sugar, Sugar, Sugar and more Sugar. We tried to brush his teeth but there was so much massive gunk that kept coming out, there was no way we would get it all in one sitting. Plus all the hardened plaque, I had never seen so much solid plaque in my life. Also, his electric toothbrush was just gone, no where to be found. He is in a wheelchair, and with the advanced dementia, he is not going to initiate it himself, but he is very cooperative about brushing when someone helps him. So they can't blame it on him being resistant to oral care. Anyway, I am LIVID that they let this happen. His "wife" sits with him everyday for a few hours, out of pure obligation, and after being with him for 35 years, you would have thought she would notice or inquire about his oral hygiene. NO. You would think the facility would be concerned about it, or his doctor, or SOMEONE. But no. And we can't say anything to anyone about it because the POA Agent has made it impossible for us to talk to anyone about our father, except for him, only he won't talk to us, and anyone that says anything about my father to him is accused of "meddling" or "interfering" with his medical care. So we had to go through our attorney to find out why they have let my Dad's teeth rot right in front of them. He also has a bedsore, and he is also required to have his thin measly mattress on the floor, no bed, because he is a "fall risk." I have talked to many nursing homes who have said they would never put a "fall risk" resident directly on the floor, they have alternatives to that. Anyway, the question is now, now that we have seen the state of my father's teeth, how does a very frail 86 year old man with dementia get his teeth cleaned at this point? It is going to be extremely painful and impossible to get all of that stuff off of them without hurting him, and he doesn't have the stamina. I don't know what to do it seems like he is going to have to some special treatment for them, but I don't even know how he would manage a trip to the dentist. He won't even leave his bed hardly. Who do I contact and how much does something like that cost and how do they even do that with this type of situation? He is in Phoenix.

Veronica says that Medicare will pay for cleaning etc?! I am not aware of this at all...I was told that Medicare does not even pay for medically necessary surgery (extractions)....????

When my MIL came to live with, first thing we did was take her to dentist. She lost her bottom teeth. WE had new set of dentures made at out of pocket cost of $1.500. we could not get her to understand that in order to get a better fit she had to go back a few times to get them adjusted. No way. The bottoms ones would fall out all the time. We had to reorder bottoms again. $700. Good luck !!

My 88 y.o. MIL except for one tooth loss,(which was replaced) has all of her own teeth. Good genes? Lucky? Perhaps. More likely it's because she never missed a dental checkup or cleaning in her adult life. To fun4uanme: your mom will need dentures/implants - take your mom to dental professional asap. There is no other remedy for tooth loss.

We watch my mom like a hawk when she is in the hospital. I stay there with her 24x7 and make sure the nursing staff, CNA, and doctors are doing their jobs providing her with the necessary care, toothbrushing, food, and bathroom needs. I keep a blog and note specifically what the staff does (and do not do). It is sad but essential these days in the hospital. My mom has never had to a spend a day in a SNF (skilled nursing facility). We bring her straight home. I honest do not see them doing anything there for her that we can not do in our own house. I will check for the article on sepsis. Thank you for sharing this information.

There's a good article on this website about Sepsis. It's the top cause of deaths in hospitals, yet only a third of Americans ever heard of it.

Thank you pullupyourpants for sharing about sepsis. I had never heard about it, odd given the number of hospital stays we have been through. Anyway, I am glad to be informed and have shared with a number of my friends already.

As for dry mouth, my mother had full dentures, recently adjusted, saw a denist, still wasn't eating well. I took her to the hospital for an evaluation. They said her dry mouth was probably from dehydration and sent her home. It turned out she had a malfunctioning parotid gland. A couple of days after being sent home, it swelled, accompanied by high fever and infection, which turned into sepsis. Something to think about.

I have been taking care of my mom for five years, just started year six. Prior to this, my mom was going for a dental tooth cleaning and check-up every six months. When she was diagnosed and I started caring for her, originally I continued on with the same dentist and the same 6-month cleaning and check-up plan. A few years ago her bridge started slipping and irritating her gums. We started to go in more frequently so the dentist could make some adjustments. Finally I asked him if there were other alternatives. He told me about the minim implants. These are less expensive than a full implant. Although expensive, they are SO worth it. I LOVE her mini implants. Since then she has had absolutely NO issues. If you can afford them, I highly recommend mini implants.

Additionally, this past year I decided to take her in for monthly tooth cleanings. We are paying for these out of pocket. I believe strongly in dental health and it is well worth it to get the best dental care you can afford.

Stubborn. I was hoping the pain would be sufficient incentive to go.

Ask dentist about Perio Protect. If that's too expensive for you, here's something less expensive that may not be as effective: Put about 10 drops of clove oil in a quart of water and shake well. Then use a little bit of this water to rinse mouth for 5 minutes & spit out. Do this every day. Shake the bottle very well before each use.

Without more information, it is difficult to give any advice.

Bookluvr why does he refuse. Is it fear or stubbornness? If it's fear, check into him having sedation during the procedure. If it's stubbornness you can't fight that so give up.

I'm afraid that Medicare doesn't pay for you to go to a dentist. Some Medicare Advantage programs do. If the care requires hospitalization then medicare might. Check this link for more info. http://www.medicareinteractive.org/page2.php?topic=counselor&page=script&script_id=1591
Medicaid covers extractions only on adults and then you have to have a Medicaid card. Dental care has always been ignored by medical community. It's the stepchild which is why persons without dental insurance suffer. Call your state dental board. Our state has a program for low income seniors that is coordinated through dental offices. Or call your Area Wide Agency on Aging for help finding resources.

I have similar concerns with my mom. Read "5 Things Your Teeth Reveal About Health" from this website. This past year my mom started having issues with her teeth. She has check ups and cleanings regularly. She has 90 years of wear and tear on them - she also has a sweet tooth that seems to get sweeter (and a salty tooth that gets saltier). Waking up in the night for a sugary snack and falling back to sleep do not help. We curtail the sweets best we can, but she says "I'm 90 and I'm going to eat what I want!" Three weeks ago she had a root canel and last week three teeth were pulled with additional work ahead. She is having some crumbling of her teeth too. For her it is no doubt age, sweets and changes in her heart condition.

Of course she needs to go to the dentist that is a no brainer.
Will she agree to go?
Can you get her there?
Medicare will pay for a cleaning, simple x-rays and examination every six.
the dentist must be one that accepts Medicare so ask months.
Medicaid will or did pay for all necessary dental care but I don't know how Obama care works for that. However many dentists will not accept Medicaid so you may have to travel long distance and wait many months for an appointment.

What kind of "advice" are you looking for? She needs to see a dentist. If she is missing a lot of teeth to where it is affecting her ability to chew food, then she'll probably need to have dentures made or get implants.

I was hoping someone would give you an advice that I can use with my father. He has cavities but absolutely refuses to go to the dentist. He's in pain, and still refuses to go. He's bedridden, can't stand at all. I told him that we would find a way to get him to the clinic. and somehow get him on the dentist chair. Just say the word, and I will tell oldest bro and his 2 grown sons to help him. He refuses.

As I read the other posters comments here, now I'm going to worry about his teeth falling out, or blood infection, etc...

My parents are using a waterpik at least once a day, sometimes more. It helps with the dry mouth, it removes all those particles they can't see and it stimulates their gums to keep them healthier. It's important to get their teeth cleaned regularly too. But be careful, there is an entire dental industry that revolves around how much can be sold to a senior and medicare doesn't cover it. (I learned this the hard way when we scheduled at a new dentist because they were closer for a regular cleaning and received almost a $5,000 estimate for dental implants in my 86 year old stepmom. We were charged $200 (special low rate!) for this "free estimate" and they didn't even clean her teeth. It included the x-rays they had to have and a "consultation". I'm taking them to my dentist next week and if needed, we'll get dentures or a partial. I can't see where someone who is 86 would benefit from implants but maybe I'm just being cheap. Good luck to you.

Hi! My mom came to stay with us a few months ago. Sorry to hear that you are having this problem. I'm going through it right now with my mom. We didn't get a reason "why", but be aware that the teeth may be falling out and not the root. Mom just had 13 extractions - mostly to get the roots out that remained. We are now in the process of getting plates made for her. The oral surgeon ran about $3200 and one crown on an existing bottom tooth and the plates will also be around $3500. The problem is, if the roots are still in place, she may be open to infection. We hope to have her plates finished the 1st of October. She hasn't really been able to eat anything substantial for several years.

Since we have both recently been through extensive dental updating crowns, fillings, cleanings and partials, get your mother to a dentist. She is losing bone which holds the teeth and she must have teeth (implants, dentures, etc.) to eat. Not having teeth is a quick way to have one's health deteriorate very quickly. If you have a dental college nearby, go there as their fees are reduced. keep her eating by having teeth. She could also damage her heart by having gums infected which goes into the blood stream right to the heart. Dentist time!!!

The other thing mentioned is dry mouth which leaves no saliva to buffer from acids and then decay results. Without enough teeth her mastication and assimilation of food breakdown in the mouth suffers and then there goes her ability to eat and get adequate nutrition. She probably needs dentures or partial dentures.

Yes, you don't pose a clear question. As a dental hygienist, most tooth loss is due to periodontal disease that causes loss of bone support. Pathogens that cause bone loss also gain access to our blood stream and can affect other organs such as the heart and liver and even implicated in strokes. It can cause problems other than dental disease. You must get her to a dentist and see of she needs referral to a periodontist or to have extractions for a denture. It is neglect to not have this t taken care of. If she will go willfully on her own great, if not then get her there yourself. They have even found the bacteria in the brain of Alzheimer's victims but that study wasn't conclusive enough. So floss 'em if you've got 'em!

What is your question? You need to bring her to a dentist is you want to have them fixed. He may be able to tell you what's causing it -- I'd venture it's because of some of her medication. Bring a list of what she's taking.

Could also be that she has a very dry mouth - FROM her medication. This will cause tooth problems galore.