I’m also concerned about not being in the room with her at the oral surgeons office. I know she’s nervous about the pain and says, I know you won’t leave me. She knows the dentist said it was not going to be an easy extraction because it appears the weakened tooth will come out in fragments. Should I consider putting her under during an extraction so she doesn’t feel any pain? I can’t stand the thought of her going in alone feeling all nervous.
When I went for my follow up appointment, my oral surgeon said, “Did you finish your antibiotics?” I said, ‘What antibiotics?’
The surgical procedure was done well but he forgot to prescribe the antibiotics.
So, my surgeon says, “Oh no! Didn’t I prescribe those for you?” I said, ‘Nope!’ He checked to see if I had an infection due to not being given antibiotics and fortunately I didn’t.
Hopefully, you won’t have a forgetful surgeon!
I hurt so badly after the surgery and was so swollen. I had no appetite and couldn’t eat. I was told not to drink through a straw but I can’t remember why.
I hate taking pain pills because they upset my stomach. I finally relented and took something for the pain but because I had an empty stomach my stomach was upset even more.
I ended up drinking chicken broth to get something in my stomach. I am not good about eating if I feel funky.
No fun having dental surgery!
These things are tricky but I would consult with an Oral Surgeon.
A similar situation happened late last week, mother broke a tooth during dinner at the independent living. Due to age, A-fib and also on a blood thinner as well as Dementia (86-years-old) I found an "in-network" dentist/Oral Surgeon who extracts teeth (under sedation) at the hospital.
It's a tough call since you can't let these things go and you have to know what insurance will and will not cover. The placement of my mother's tooth is no easy feat to remove the remaining part but with Dementia my mother's is antsy to begin with and can't sit long. The dentist is fine for cleanings, etc. but I opted for an "Oral Surgeon" that is covered under my mother's insurance.
I also accompany my mother to the dentist and wait inside the room; but for an extraction I waited outside the office but always remain on the premises while mother was sedated.
We can share what works for us but consult your mother's primary care and perhaps an oral surgeon with regards to your mother's limitations. I know it's hard these things need to be thought out since I don't want anything to go wrong.
Also, with Dementia make sure your mother's ears are cleaned out for all the wax build up especially if she wears hearing aids.
primary care medical doctor i.e. Internist and any specialists she has on her care team… DENTAL HEALTH is very closely connected to heart health. So the concerns are weighing
treating the infection vs extraction, probably necessitating
mild pain killer possibly just for the region. Do necessary
prep work FIRST with her care team & ask for appointment on an emergency basis if the abscess is ALSO painful 🙆
good luck .
Have her put under sedation so she doesn’t feel any pain……it’ll also be easier on her & the dentist if she’s under sedation
He said he would not wish that pain on his worst enemy. In retrospect he should have been sedated for the procedure. It truly traumatized him.
good luck.
So here I go again with my response since the first one seems to have disappeared.
I doubt that the dentist/oral surgeon will allow you to be with your mom during the procedure.
ANY sedation will have an effect on the dementia and it may take days, weeks, months to get back to her "baseline"
If the tooth is pulled how well will she do at leaving the oral wound alone while it heals?
Will she allow you to tend to it?
If the infection is taken care of and she is not in pain is that an option rather than putting her through the surgery.
With dementia there is a constant weighing of care when it comes to the "Benefit VS Burden"
She may feel alone and scared for a few minutes until the drugs take effect. Then she'll be fine. Get that abscess taken care of because your mother is probably in a world of pain from it.
I had an abscessed tooth once and there is no pain like it.
Mom also had the mobile dentist come to her room in Memory Care Assisted Living to extract a tooth with Novocaine, in her recliner, and stitches put in her gum, all without pain or incident. I did have her take an Ativan before each dentist appointment.
Good luck to you.
I would not put and elderly person under especially if already suffering from Dementia.
So sorry. My brother, 85, died of a sepsis from a scratch on his shin that didn't heal and that he kept putting ointment on and kept hidden. So there you go. At this age, expect the unexpected, and on you go the best you can, but this infection surely WILL KILL if not addressed.
You can't be in the room. The last thing they need is more germs and an anxious family member. So that's that. There are times in life "we can't be in the room". And we just accept that and worry. The waiting room is what I always call "the worst room in the house".
Good luck. Hope you will tell us how it goes.
IF your mom is really anxious, ask the dentist to please allow you to accompany her back to the procedure room. Then once they get her sedated, you can leave.