I'm already battling to get mom (Alzheimer's) to eat but now her dentures are causing ulcers on her bottom gum from ill fitting. Dentist has previously refitted them, but says her gums are too receded to do anything else. Any advice?
I'm so sorry! This is so frustrating for everybody. My dad had the same problem. Sometimes he had to leave them out to let the gums heal. There was nothing more the dentist could do. When his mouth healed, we'd go back to fixodent to keep them in for eating, but it was always a battle.
There are pads that help some people. They fill up space and protect gums. But they were only occasionally satisfactory for Dad. We kept trying everything available, but there was no great fix. Leaving the teeth out while the mouth heals seems to help but then it starts all over again.
I'm afraid this will be a constant battle - trying to maintain gum health and balance that with nutrition and in some cases self-esteem. Dad hated leaving his teeth out.
I wish I had a magic fix. Maybe someone else has a better idea. Take care, Carol
Leave them out until the gums heal and you can get a prescription for Kenalog (dental paste). As the bone structure changes due to bone loss one's dentures and partials are bound to change. This requires a remodeling of the denture. If the dentist won't do it, I take my Dremel and slightly re-contour the shape until it feels great for my partials.
At some point in his dementia, my dad had to just quit wearing his dentures and go to eating soft foods only. There was no fitting of them anymore, because he could not describe 'feelings' or fit. Same with his glasses. Unable to go through an eye exam and concentrate enough to describe which lens helped him see better either.... So no dentures in, and we just kept the old glasses. The brain in dementia, doesn't the send the right signals to the eyes anyhow....and the field of vision just becomes more and more narrow. I think that explains why so many just become more and more inward and incommunicative. My Dad normally loved to watch birds and look at all things in nature. In later stages of dementia, I could stand right next to him, looking at a big bird out the window on the fence, and he could not even see it....until it flew....so on his own....no enjoyment of nature anymore. If someone was communicating and leading him to look...it would work.
And another thing about eating....We noticed my Dad, not eating well in his facility.....but it was the brain, sending strange signals to him about the eating. He would forget he was looking at food. He would think the food was something else or that it wasn't even there, but was part of the plate. If someone sat ad communicated while he ate, and kept the redirection going, then he would eat well. One day, while visiting he said he was hungry....the food was good and he just hogged it all down. I said, "Dad, do you want somemore?" His response....like a child, " Sure, but look.....it's all gone so I can't have more...." He had lost the notion that there would be more somewhere or he could ask for more and it would be put on his plate. That was a wake up to me, as to why these people, with no family visiting who understand and oversee their loved ones activities, just fade away and die. Staff cannot sit there, one on one through every meal with every person....and just encourage them about eating or think about offering more food. I think every facility ought to make it a practice that if someone empties their place, they are automatically given a little more and assessed for how they eat it....but what I witnessed, so many times, was....if someone stopped eating, or started being interested in wandering away or playing with a napkin....instead of redirecting back to eating, staff were quick to pick up that plate....another chore finished....and get on with the next thing on their list, rather than realizing that FOOD is what keeps people alive....and GOOD food is usually the highlight of the day to any elderly person, whether or not they verbalize that.
My grandmother never wore her dentures unless she had company or was going out. She survived quite well without them by modifying her diet and sticking to softer foods.
I wear an upper plate and while it fits ok, I find that when I use Polident liberally, they don't move around at all and stay tight all day long. Best wishes. Grace + Peace,
My Moms dentures are ill fitting as well. She had an ulcer at one time but it cleared up. Her doctor told her she must use Seabond cushion strips or a paste in which to hold them in place. It will help keep the dentures from sliding around and reduce friction against the gums. Good luck with that. My mom refused to use anything. She continues to remove her teeth after meals too. Hopefully we don't have any future issues like this.
I know a few people with dementia who are doing fine without their dentures, due to fitting issues They seem to be able to eat pretty well and not just pureed food.
One of my friends told me that when her mom had Alzheimers she did not use her dentures for many years and that she ate just fine. She said the bony part of the gum worked for her mom and that she ate just about anything she wanted except for hard or tough food like steak.
If it just irritation on gums or palate, I spray a little Colloidal silver on the dentures before I put them on and on my gums and palate. Colloidal silver is safe to swallow and more effective against all infections, cuts, insect bites, cold sores, sore throat, etc. than any other remedy I know; it acts fast and is totally harmless.
Why on earth can't they make something for this situation, like a cushy plastic base for the teeth. Something that could act kind of like memory foam does and mold itself to slight variations over time. These wouldn't be dentures for "everybody" but for this kind of situation. If they can put a man on the moon....
My son just got a retainer after his braces came off. It's a softish clear plastic tray. It's not the rigid fake pink plastic piece with the big wire on it like I had. The right dentist needs to get on the stick here.
Do tour a assisted living residence...they always have a dentist that works closely with them...that dentist would be who I would take my parent to...i was blessed with a fabulous dentist that loves older patients...not all dentists have the patience ..so find one that loves and respects the elderly
There are pads that help some people. They fill up space and protect gums. But they were only occasionally satisfactory for Dad. We kept trying everything available, but there was no great fix. Leaving the teeth out while the mouth heals seems to help but then it starts all over again.
I'm afraid this will be a constant battle - trying to maintain gum health and balance that with nutrition and in some cases self-esteem. Dad hated leaving his teeth out.
I wish I had a magic fix. Maybe someone else has a better idea.
Take care,
Carol
And another thing about eating....We noticed my Dad, not eating well in his facility.....but it was the brain, sending strange signals to him about the eating. He would forget he was looking at food. He would think the food was something else or that it wasn't even there, but was part of the plate. If someone sat ad communicated while he ate, and kept the redirection going, then he would eat well. One day, while visiting he said he was hungry....the food was good and he just hogged it all down. I said, "Dad, do you want somemore?" His response....like a child, " Sure, but look.....it's all gone so I can't have more...." He had lost the notion that there would be more somewhere or he could ask for more and it would be put on his plate. That was a wake up to me, as to why these people, with no family visiting who understand and oversee their loved ones activities, just fade away and die. Staff cannot sit there, one on one through every meal with every person....and just encourage them about eating or think about offering more food. I think every facility ought to make it a practice that if someone empties their place, they are automatically given a little more and assessed for how they eat it....but what I witnessed, so many times, was....if someone stopped eating, or started being interested in wandering away or playing with a napkin....instead of redirecting back to eating, staff were quick to pick up that plate....another chore finished....and get on with the next thing on their list, rather than realizing that FOOD is what keeps people alive....and GOOD food is usually the highlight of the day to any elderly person, whether or not they verbalize that.
Best wishes. Grace + Peace,
Bob
One of my friends told me that when her mom had Alzheimers she did not use her dentures for many years and that she ate just fine. She said the bony part of the gum worked for her mom and that she ate just about anything she wanted except for hard or tough food like steak.
My son just got a retainer after his braces came off. It's a softish clear plastic tray. It's not the rigid fake pink plastic piece with the big wire on it like I had. The right dentist needs to get on the stick here.
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