Dentists: Question about dentures

[MotoSook]

Elderly care has moved me into unknown territory. My parents are getting older and age is catching up to them. Taking care of them is going to start getting more involved.

Anyhow, my father is from the old country and most of his life he has received little dental care. Now at the age of 66 his teeth are starting to fall apart. He's got more loose teeth that he should at his age. One of my sisters has been taking him to a dentist who has proposed to remove all his teeth so he can start using dentures.

Is this a good idea? He's got some good teeth still, and I'm afraid that dentures may not be the best option.

So what are his options?

I just found out about this this weekend, and I've not consulted my dentist yet. I'm considering taking him to see my dentist as I trust her opinion and her office has all the latest techniques and technology.

I know there are some dentists on this board, and I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks,

[Zeke]

I know it would seem traumatic to loose your natural teeth, but the state of the art is better than ever. (I don't have dentures.) So, overall comfort and performance shouldn't be an issue.

However, I would ask why the existing teeth are not healthy. Is he a smoker? Diabteic? Peridontal desease is expentive to treat and not a of lot of fun. These days, if the cause can be eliminated, the chances of saving most of the teeth are good.

[MotoSook]

Good points, Milt. He was a smoker until most recently, probably a smoker for 40 years of his life. I'll ask if his dentist has determined if there is more to it than age.

[Sonic dB]

The periodontal disease, if not treated and advanced, can pose a serious health threat to the rest of the body, especially his heart. If he were a younger man, with a treatable condition, then he would possibly be a candidate for one or more dental implants...however it sounds like he is beyond that stage and dentures may be the best solution. You can always get a second opinion from another dentist to make sure.

[Joeaksa]

A good friend of mine is a dentist. He has been putting in implants the last 10 years and swears by them. They never get loose, rarely cause problems and so on.

Yes, he does make money on them but he did them to his parents and was very happy with the result. He is in Germany where the dentists do not make as much money and he does it because he likes his work and helping people.

Might look into that if his health is good. Its a long term proposition and would last him a lot longer than dentures.

[89911]

Hey, a topic I actually can add some information about in the off topic board! First off, it is almost impossible to give any opinion without actually seeing this patient. Having older patients transition into dentures is a very difficult process for some. I've had some that have their teeth removed, put in their dentures, and never look back. I've had others that never liked them, even though they had no other choice but to have them removed. Keeping some teeth is alway helpful, since they can support a partial denture which is much more secure then a complete denture. One problem is if these teeth are not sound enough, the partial denture will fail in a short time (year or two), leaving the patient to undergo more work. The proper diagnosis can only be done with radio-graphs a chair-side exam. Also, having any periodontal disease or abscessing teeth in an elderly patient is never a good situation. If having the teeth out is imminent, I would recommend complete dentures as soon as possible. If the lower denture are not acceptable to the patient for stability (common), perhaps a few implants to stabilize it would be in the future. Now, where does this bill get sent!

[dhoward]

Originally posted by 89911
Snipped...
Now, where does this bill get sent!

Surprise.

[Milu]

My gf is closing her dental clinic this month. I'm sure she could do you a cracker of a deal on a used set

[RickM]

Originally posted by Joeaksa
A good friend of mine is a dentist. He has been putting in implants the last 10 years and swears by them. They never get loose, rarely cause problems and so on.

Yes, he does make money on them but he did them to his parents and was very happy with the result. He is in Germany where the dentists do not make as much money and he does it because he likes his work and helping people.

Might look into that if his health is good. Its a long term proposition and would last him a lot longer than dentures.

Implants are a great option. Thing is if one is loosing teeth due to advanced periodontal disease there's a likleyhood that the bone needed to support the implant is not intact.

Remember Morton Downey Jr? I recall he every one of his teeth replaced with implants..part of a publicity deal. He was a very heavy smoker for many years. He said it was one of the best things he had ever done.

Problem is high cost. Most insurance (if not all) will not cover.

[Moses]

Originally posted by RickM

Remember Morton Downey Jr? I recall he every one of his teeth replaced with implants..

Yikes...

[MotoSook]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm going to schedule him for a second opinion with my dentist.

[Jeff Williams]

Well I might as well put in my $.02 in for the motorcycle group,(I was pm'd to this thread).
If he was a smoker he would not be a good Candidate for implants.
Since he's stopped smoking, implants maybe useful in his situation.
The diagnosis for dentures maybe correct, I wouldn't know without seeing the data from the exam.
Lets assume that its correct, then I would look at a full upper denture with a full lower denture with implants.
This will let him 'snap' the lower denture,(which usually has retention, and function problems), into place.
If natural teeth have 100% functional Efficiency, dentures usually have between 50-75%.
Using the implants will increase the efficiency.
The only problems,(besides $), is that the implants, like teeth, have to be cleaned. If he doesn't clean his teeth now what will make him do it latter.
If you want a second opinion have him go to a periodonitst,(gum doctor). He will tell him if they can be saved by splinting, bone grafts, hygine care, etc.
Hope this helps
cya
Jeff
ps
for your viewing pleasure

[Sonic dB]

Implants are a great option. Thing is if one is loosing teeth due to advanced periodontal disease there's a likleyhood that the bone needed to support the implant is not intact.

+1 thats was sort of what I was trying to say above. He may very well need bone grafts to support any chances of implantology success. So a 2nd opinion is needed, send him to a periodontist and prosthedontist.

[MotoSook]

Thank you for posting Jeff (and who ever PM'ed you to the thread).

I'm willing to do what it takes, starting with a second opinion from my dentist, and on from there. Dad spend 1/2 his life in a third world country where dentistry consisted of pliers or a string for pulling out teeth that were causing problems. So you might understand what we're up against, on top of his years of smoking.

Anyhow, at this point I want what ever is best for him no matter what the cost. If I can buy him some comfort for the rest of his life, it'll be a small payment of my debt to him.

All the input has given me some direction, and at the very least provided me with some questions to pose to the dentist.

Thanks so much guys.


PS. Thanks for the pics

[Jeff Williams]

Souk,
IMO its the best compliment a father can have when his son thinks the way you do.
I have my practice in an area where retirement is the major industry
The one thing I've found from working with these patients is that it doesn't work unless they want to something better than they have right know and are not discouraged.
If they are then the appliance will end up on the night stand waiting for the dog to eat them.
If you need any help just ask, I'm only Electrically next door on the R1100S BMW forium.
cya.
jeff

ps I'll bet this guy drives a volvo in San Francisco.