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you actually could ask her if she would be willing to go if they knocked her out. She knows enough to realize that she needs several visits and at the very best it won't be pleasant.
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Can you get the Dr to order a sedative and then march her in (w/2 people) and see what you can get done if necessary with an anesthetic. I know how she feels, once as a small kid I bit the school dentist when he tried to pry open my mouth.
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You're right to be concerned. Mouth infections + heart disease = very dangerous. Well. If the mountain won't come to Mohammed…

You're between a rock and a hard place, though, aren't you: the dentist won't do a home visit, your mother won't set foot inside his premises. I imagine the dentist's view is that he can't treat your mother adequately at home; while hers perhaps is that she would be entering a world of pain, fear and possibly shame. Was she ever good about going?

The only thing I can think of is asking her doctors - ideally the cardiologist but whichever she trusts most will do - to read her the Riot Act and get heavy about the additional serious risk she's running because of her frail health. If she gets abscesses she's going to be in big, big trouble.

Can you scare her into agreeing just to a check up, hold any treatment for now? - And make sure the dentist understands that he must on no account hurt or frighten her. Good luck!
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My mother broke off one of her front teeth when she was about 92. Vanity was the only thing that got her to the dentist. I think when you get old, your teeth get brittle and are more easily broken. Every time I see my mom bite into something with her front teeth, I cringe. I keep saying, "No! Put it in your mouth and bite down with your molars." But she won't remember. But other than the front tooth situation, I can't get my mom to the dentist either.

Does your mom brush her teeth? I think my mom would only go to the dentist if her teeth hurt her, which they don't. So I feel your pain.
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i think you need a better pri care physician. a good one has power and knows how to use it. my mother went to hospital many months ago with a heart attack. this is when the dementia was officially dx'd. she wanted to battle the doctors thru a full 6 day health work-up. they dont have time for that crap. they knocked her out colder than a salmon and done their required testing.
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