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My mother is having problems with a painful spot on a lower denture. The denture was made by a doctor who does house calls but has never fit properly. Dentist has made a number of housecalls doing adjustments and, finally, a soft reline. It did not work. I called in another dentist for a second opinion. She did nothing except recommend a hard reline, but took no impressions. We have had some financial setbacks and the housecalls are really digging into our budget and have not produced resolution. I would like to take Mom to an office, but her behavior is unpredictable. The last two times that she was in a car, she had paranoid panic attacks. Also, she has not been outside of memory care for a year and is constantly asking to be taken home. A friend suggested that I ask her doctor for medication that would make a calm medical appointment possible, but I don't know what that would be. Mom recently lost her doctor and I have not yet been in touch with the assisted living doctor. Sometimes Mom's behavior is very good--other times it is not. I would like to take her to her dentist that she had seen for many years until the dementia made it impossible for her to continue living at home. But, I am afraid of the unpredictability, afraid that she will not get in or out of a car, go inside the dental office, cooperate with the exam, and go back inside the assisted living facility. I don't have any family members that would help with her.


Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with a situation like this?

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If taking her out to the dentist is the only option, ask if you could privately hire one of the staff members to accompany you. Of course, you would need to schedule the appointment for a time when your chosen staff person was not on duty. You could also hire an outside person, but having someone who already is familiar with your mother and her behavior would be a plus.
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At this point, considering the failure of the two dentists that visited her in memory care, I don't see a choice other than to take her out. I contacted the Alzheimer's Association in my area and they suggested I use medical transportation that specializes in taking people to appointments. I may also need to hire an outside person to assist. Thanks for all the feedback.
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The dentist she has known and loved for many many years...

If you asked him REALLY nicely and paid his cab fare, would he consider... maybe... pretty please with sugar on it... popping in to see her?
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Have you spoken with the social worker at the facility? Moms NH has a dentist that comes in I think every 2 weeks to see patients that the Social worker signs up.
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My own mthr no longer recognizes pain in a normal way. She is given really soft foods she can swallow whole if need be. Once you get dentures fixed just right, the plates are likely to get wrapped in a tissue and tossed, meaning all this adjusting is for naught. We've let the idea of dentures go as mthr just can't handle them. I'll opt for implants once I start losing teeth!
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