I’ve taken over care of my mother after I discovered her nursing home was neglecting her. One of the first things I did was take her to a doctor and dentist. Both areas were in sore need of attention. She was malnourished and dehydrated. On top of that, we weren’t able to save her teeth. They had to be extracted and we’ve gotten her dentures, but she’s absolutely refusing to wear them and keeps taking them out. I can’t tell what’s bothering her about them and she hasn’t said much since we moved her to our home. Do you have any insight you can offer?
Laurie
Dear Laurie,
It sounds like both of you have been through a lot. It may take her a while to communicate well again. In the meantime, here are some things your dentist can check on your mother’s dentures to see where things are not ideal and can be adjusted.
Too Tight/Loose
It’s a strange thing that dentures can fit fine in some places and not others. Often you will get a spot which is too tight compared to the other spots. However, the only way for the dentist to know that is through communication from the patient. I know your mom is not communicating at the moment, but the dentist can look at it to see if there are any obvious tight spots.
Another common issue is the dentures become loose. That’s often because there is swelling after the procedure which goes down. Then, suddenly, the denture is loose. Her dentures can be relined to make them fit more properly.
Poor Fit
Sometimes a pair of dentures are just made poorly. The can rock back and forth causing sores and other injuries to the patient. It’s okay to tell a dentist they’re not good enough. It’s not worth injury.
Won’t Stay In
Occasionally you have a patient who naturally thrusts with their tongue pushing out their dentures. You mother may be doing that either intentionally or unintentionally. Sometimes it takes patients a while to adjust to dentures. But, if she can’t help thrusting her tongue, you may look at implant supported dentures which will keep them anchored in her mouth.
If you’re worried about the healing time required for traditional dental implants, you could also look at the teeth in a day procedure.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.