My 88-year-old mom had an ischemic stroke and can't use her left side. What guidance can you give on: anesthesia, dental hygiene care during the 3 mos. "recovery" following surgery, problems removing her dentures on her own? Are there other issues we should consider before going through with the procedure? She has suffered with loose-fitting dentures for a long time and her dentist says he cannot adjust them any more than he already has, saying implant of her dentures is the only way to remedy the problem. We want her to not have these denture issues but are worried about any other possible problems we may be creating by having the implant procedure done.
Please advise!
Is this something she is insists on, or is this more you trying to find a solution to her complaints about her dentures? Could some of her eating difficulties be more a consequence of the stroke than than difficulty with her dentures? Has she had an evaluation from a speech and language pathologist?
She is not insisting on this procedure--her mind is less sharp due to age & the stroke--but rather a "solution" to her denture issues. We think the eating & speaking difficulties are probably in part a result of the stroke, and in part problems with the dentures. She did have a S & L pathologist's evaluation, and even did speech therapy for a bit, but for the first 1 1/2 yrs, most of her efforts were in PT. I never thought about the bone strength of an elderly person, but can see how this indeed could compound the problem.
She has been quite hesitant to do the surgery as her pain threshold is quite low, but her frustrations with the dentures not fitting well have reached the point where she's now willing to consider it. We want her to be comfortable and confident with eating & speaking and thought the implant might be the way to go if she'd go for it, but the more I read and we discuss, the more reservations I have.
Thanks for your input!