We were told that she need $12,000 worth of dental work done or she will loose her teeth. He teeth are in terrible shape and literally are rotting. She has told me she wants to keep her real teeth. She does not have the money to make this investment and the teeth are falling apart monthly. Of course the dentist tells us to put it on a credit card. She is on medicare/medicaid and has limited credit availalbe. II feel the best option (at least for her uppers) is to get dentures on the top. Far less money and no more continued dental expense on those. She is afraid of the extractions and keeps telling me she wants to keep her real teeth. This is just not an option...physically and financially. I feel terrible but I have worried myself sick on this topic. Any suggestions.
If your Mom really does need dentures (has she seen a prosthodontist?) then it is probably best to do it sooner than later. Infections can happen so quickly.
You mentioned $12,000. dollars worth of work...what are they planning on doing? It is amazing how expensive anything dental is anymore. Mom's root canals were $800./ea and crowns were $800. each. Also, I would not recommend implants for senior patients.
Partials ended up being the best solution and the most affordable option for Mom. I had the opposite problem with my Mom. She wanted her doc to just "pull out" her teeth and have dentures installed. He just smiled and kept reminding her how dentures were a "last resort" and would not be as effective as other treatments.
Good luck. Sometimes you just have to wear your "advocate" hat and make the best choices for her. I would hate to see her spend all that money on repairing teeth that may not last anyway.
www.dentalhealth.org/tell-me-about/topic/older-people
I think you're right to be cautious about how well your wife might adapt to a new denture. My mother's dentist talked us out of replacing hers (at some cost to himself, to his credit) because he didn't think any small improvement in the fit would compensate for the discomfort and trouble she'd have with a new one. Getting unbiased advice in a wholly commercial market is always going to be difficult, though. Gather several opinions before you decide?