He has to pulled them out and get dentures. In the meantime, the dentist prescribed an antibiotics and a rinse. Both medications worked like magic, and he is now pain free. I dread putting him through the treatment. He'll be uncomfortable all his life with the dentures. What if I wait till pain comes back and then just have him use the rinse? I'll appreciate any advice.
1. He has infected teeth. Is there a low cost, low side effect way of treating this, without extraction?
2. Are the extractions being recommended due to the infection, or simply in preparation for dentures?
3. Why do you believe dad will be so uncomfortable with dentures?
4. How well would dad be able to chew without these teeth, and without
dentures ? Will it have an impact upon his nutrition?
Break the process down into small bits and get answers to each question. With my mom, I usually ask," what if we do nothing?" Or, "what would you do if this were your 92 year old mom with moderate dementia?" Sometimes with elders, less is more.
Could your dad still chew with the missing teeth? Are there enough remaining teeth that he could still chew okay? Is there anyway to avoid the dentures? I would do that if all possible. Does he have the funds to have root canal and crowns? Does he have Medicaid? I'd see what they would pay for.
The reason is that as the dementia progresses, the patient isn't able to keep up with dentures. They may hide them, misplace them, etc. They may not allow others to put the dentures in. Dealing with dentures with people who have dementia is problematic. There are so many probables that arise and I know of more than a few dementia patients who stop using their dentures and just eat soft food.
Why I ask is that my Mom has dealt with dentures since she was in her 20's, and refused to be seen in public without them, as some were her top front teeth. And refused to eat with out them. A couple months ago Mom developed accelerated dementia due a head trauma, and now doesn't use her dentures at all. At the nursing home she is now eating solid food without any problems. And I noticed majority of the patients in Mom's wing aren't wearing dentures and they dive into their solid food.
I suppose you do what you have to do, but I would keep in mind that dentures are not problem free. There are fit issues too. I'd discuss all my concerns with the dentist to confirm that he knows what you are up against.
Mom would put the dentures in to eat, and take them out a minute after her meal, wash and soak them. Did the same thing at lunch, again at dinner, and any time she had a snack in-between. Eventually with taking the dentures in and out so many times the dentures would break. Then back into the dentist chair she would go. It always pained me to see her struggling to snap in the dentures and the struggling to unhook them.
So that is something to think about.