My husband (82) has been having dental problems for some time now. He has always refused to see a dentist but now his teeth are falling out one by one. I finally convinced him to seek some advice from a dentist. We have an appt. today. He is wheelchair bound and weighs over 200 pounds. so it is difficult for me too (I am 80). He has very few teeth in his mouth and I know he will need dentures. (He'll never keep them in his mouth. ) He really should have the permanent teeth put in. But I worry that he may not be able to withstand that procedure. He also has Parkinsons', Neuropathy, and Diabetes and also ITP. I don't know what to do if he refuses this procedure. They will have to remove the few teeth he now has. This will be difficult. He can hardly chew any food now. Do I have to puree his food? It's a terrible situation and to say the least, I am running out of steam. I am the only one taking care of him and I certainly do not need more chores. I love him dearly but I too, am very tired.
Next, please have realistic expectations. In order to have dentures you need enough bone mass to accommodate them. Also, chronically bad teeth can lead to a systemic infection that travels to the rest of his body and can be very dangerous, so he needs to see a dentist, no matter what
And, implants are $2K (or more) per tooth and not covered by any insurance. He would first have to go to a periodontist for the prep work and again, would need to get into the chair. Their staff is NOT going to do this for you. It is painful to have teeth extracted, and like the other commenters have said, takes a long time. Probably not a good option but a dentist will lay out the possibilities for you and your LO.
Just a soapbox moment: everyone who is in good health and is lucky enough to have the financial means should invest in implants so that this is never a problem to deal with in their seasoned years. I just had my first implant and glad I did it. No lost dentures, no gumming food, no looking like an unkept person.
I spent a lot of time trying to help my 2 ailing in-laws get their teeth in good shape and it was a huge time, money and energy investment. Aging has enough challenges and loss of dignity but smart dental care and investment early on can help mitigate those problems for ourselves and loved ones who are helping us. Good luck at the dentist!
My sig other [73] recently had teeth implanted and it took a year from start to finish. Extra bone had to be placed in his gums as the jaw bone had thinned over the years. It took months for the extra bone to settle.
My Mom [98] had dentures for some missing teeth [since she was in her early 20's], and for her she refused to keep the dentures in during the day to get use to them. She always would put in the dentures at meal time, and take them out after the meal. Use to frustrate her dentist to no end.
Hope hubby and the dentist can find a happy conclusion.