Dentist Wants to Give My 83 Year Old Mother Implants

I’m so frustrated. My mother’s teeth have been a mess for a while and she kept avoiding going to the dentist. A few months ago, we realized that the reason she wasn’t going is because she’s afraid to spend money.  So, we sent her an anonymous note that said someone from her church has committed to paying for all her dental care for the rest of her life up to $500,000. She went to the dentist.

Maybe we should have suggested the dentist, but the one she went to told her that she needed to take out all of her teeth and get dental implants. Not dentures. Dental implants. First, I don’t believe that her teeth are that bad, though I suppose it is possible. Second, when she asked about dentures instead of dental implants because of the cost he told her that if she didn’t get implants she’s lose her jaw. She is terrified and planning on going through with this surgery. She’s frail. What do you think?

Laurie

Dear Laurie,

I’m glad you wrote. I want you to have your mom read what I’m going to write here in order to help her. I don’t want her to get dental implants until you have some other things checked. If you want, we can send it to you without the information about your paying for her dental care, so you can keep that anonymous.

The first thing I want you to do is get a second opinion on her teeth. If you are thinking that there are still healthy teeth, it is best to save them. Even if other teeth have to come out, the hopeless ones can be removed while preserving the healthy ones.

Now, let’s talk about this “lose her jaw” thing. When teeth are removed, our amazing bodies recognize that. In order to be efficient with our body’s resources, it resorbs the minerals in our jawbone, that no longer have to support any teeth, to use elsewhere in our bodies. That does have a side effect of our jawbones slowly shrinking. After about 20 years, the jawbone has lost so much of it’s structure that it becomes impossible to wear dentures, which rest on your lower jawbone. In dental circles this is known as facial collapse.

Your mother is 83. Not to sound morbid, but it is unlikely that she will get to 103. She might. Most don’t. I don’t think she has to worry about facial collapse. Tell her not to get the dental implant surgery. In her unique situation, removable dentures are fine. Get a second opinion from another dentist to save as many teeth as possible. If she does have teeth that need to come out, there are several options.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Oksana Bailey, a female dentist in Draper, UT.