Dental Implant Options for My Elderly Mother
Posted by Annmarie SanSevero
My mother is 82 with Alzheimer’s and other health issues. We are taking over her care and took her to the dentist. He said that she is needing to have her teeth replaced. He’s suggested implant supported dentures. But, with her health issues I am not sure I want to put her through that. Are there other options for her?
Kristin
Dear Kristin,
I am sorry for all that you are going through. But I am glad your mother has you to look out for her. While dental implants are the best tooth replacement, I agree with you that it is not the best option for your mother. Given her health issues she may not even be a candidate. Given her Alzheimer’s it may be unnecessarily frightening for her.
In most other cases, I lean heavily toward implant supported dentures rather than removable dentures. This is mostly because of the risk of facial collapse. When teeth are removed, the body knows that. It will then immediately begin to take the minerals in your jawbone and then resorb them in order to use them elsewhere in your body where they would be more needed.
This has the unfortunate effect of slowly shrinking your jawbone. After a number of years, your jawbone no longer has enough structure left to keep in the dentures. Given your mother’s age, that is not likely to be an issue.
The first thing I think you should do is get a second opinion on you mother’s teeth. I’m not convinced this dentist has your mother’s best interest in mind. His suggested procedure is a money grab that would put her at risk. It’s possible her teeth just need a little work and could be saved. Some dentists are better than others at working to save your teeth.
This blog is brought to you by a compassionate dentist in Franklin, TN Dr. Christopher Weber.
