In the past month my dh has been to the dentist several times. The first time was for his regular checkup and he came home with a list of procedures that the dentist said he needed. 2 crowns and a filling. Wow! $2200. Yesterday he had a toothache and I took him to the dentist and he got his tooth filled (maybe that's the one from the list I just mentioned). Today, he had another toothache, so back to the dentist and it turns out that he has a infected root canal and the tooth must come out when the infection is cleared up. The infected tooth happens to be an "anchor" tooth to a bridge meaning that the bridge will need to be replaced $3000. Tonight he's in much pain with the infection and soreness from yesterdays filling.
He's always been so healthy and taken good care of his teeth and all of the sudden, all these things are happening to him. Granted, he's 81 years old; but, I'm wondering if this disease has anything to do with his rapidly declining dental health?? Have any of you had this experience with your loved one?
Not yet. That's pretty extreme. I would definitely want to be very clear with the dentist that, where teeth are concerned, we're taking palliative steps only. Nothing cosmetic. Or put another way, what is the least expensive set of steps to take to keep him comfortable and able to eat?
I agree with emily. Sometimes the dentists don't think about whether these are absolutely necessary procedures or the usual for every patient. That's a lot of work on an 81 year old mouth. Try some Ambesol for the mouth soreness. My DH cannot tolerate mouth pain even if it is from biting his cheek.
mothert--I would think it's not directly related to the disease process, but probably indirectly; your husband's dental hygiene is probably not be up to par. My hb's gums flared up because he wasn't brushing/flossing properly; I am now taking him for cleanings every 3 months instead of at 6-month intervals. Emily is right, anything that's not critical to eating or comfort doesn't get done. You could do a search for old threads on dental issues, we must have discussed this in the past.