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Mom was told by a dentist that her top front teeth need to be crowned, with some root canals possible, due to a chip on one tooth and some decay on all the others. The price tag would be $6K+. I could not imagine putting Mom through all of that if there may be an alternative, so I got my dentist to see my Mom and give us a second opinion. He says that since her teeth are not bothering her, the least invasive approach at her age would be to just keep patching and filling, which makes sense to me. The price to do the essential repairs is $600. I'm inclined to just go with the latter approach especially given the price difference. First dentist has said that he will not agree to do that, and will only treat her if we follow his plan. Anyone ever deal with a situation like this? Such wide opinions? Mom is in decent health, has Parkinson's and mobility issues, enlarged heart and heart murmur, but is mentally sharp. She does not want the crowns. Am I missing anything here? Any reason to go ahead and do all those crowns?

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I used to work for a dentist. Of course, he'd do what his patients wanted, but he'd weigh in on options, too.

A 96 yo person whose teeth are not bothering her? Don't start with the root canals and crowns. I'd do the patch and fix route.

Um, your first dentist is just kind of scamming you. If her teeth are not bothering her--don't start. Go to your dentist and let mom be.

No dentist should "threaten" you like that. Ridiculous.

If you were 96, would you want to sit through multiple sessions at the dentist's?

Money aside, I'd definitely go the less invasive route. Go to lunch instead.

BTW, my daddy had Parkinson's and sitting in a dental chair was beyond excruciating for him, I don't know why, but he hated it.
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Glad you got a second opinion. I would probably go with the dentist that offered the patch and fill mostly due to the fact her teeth are not bothering her. Sometimes crowns and root canals can cause problems that otherwise would not have occurred, tooth sensitivity, additional procedures, etc. Also, something just seems odd when a dentist or doctor pushes only one option.
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I agree about not putting her though the pain and the whole ordeal of it all. I just can’t see how it is ethical to even suggest $6000 worth of work on someone who is 96 years old! That is A LOT of money to spend on 96 year old teeth and I mean.....I don’t know to say this in a kind and gentle way but at 96, how many more years does she have left? A lot of years left, I hope, if she’s in good health but realistically? Shes 96z Probably not enough years left to justify spending $6k. I could see spending $6k if you have a lot of years left but....at 96? It seems like a money grab to me! And unethical!
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I like your dentist, IMO expensive repairs at her age are ludicrous. My mom avoided the dentist for decades and unfortunately needed to have most of her remaining teeth extracted at age 90. The six remaining, though very fragile, were preserved to hold a partial denture and didn't cause her any difficulty or pain, although she did lose one sometime in her last 6 months of life (age 99).
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No way would I put my mom who is 93 through that. You’re making the right choice to patch and fill.
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Thank you both for responding so quickly. Yes, I agree with you both... why put someone that age through that if they are not experiencing pain? And even then maybe a filling would do? The first doctor said something about the patch and fill approach being "wrong". Heavy sigh. He's no spring chicken, and I can't imagine him recommending 6 crowns to his own mother. Probably just an ego thing. Yes, we will stick with patch and fill. No money tree here anyway. You know what I mean?!
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mally1 Mar 2019
Not an "ego" thing; a "money" thing....
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I visited the orth dentist for a tooth that had been pushed into another. I asked if he could fix it. This was my daughter's dentist who put on her braces.

when he came back - he told me he could break my jaw and straighten all my teeth. ????? I have buck teeth in the front. I asked about just doing that one tooth. He refused saying it would not stay back. so it was all or nothing. I left and had nothing done
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My mother's dentist recommended just patching as long as she had no pain, and simple extractions if there was pain. He said it was silly to spend thousands on a procedure that made no difference to her quality of life at 96.
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MomcareFL Mar 2019
Thank you for your response. Yes this is the approach we are taking at this point. I'm just amazed this dentist (who has a stellar reputation and education; won awards, etc. - in his late 50s) would even suggest 6 crowns at this stage. Common sense should prevail. And then he was insulted that we opted not to use his services.
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Your dentist has the reasonable plan given the circumstances, and your mom's dentist is not considering her best interests. I say she should make that her *former* dentist and transfer her care to your dentist.
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MomcareFL Mar 2019
Thank you, Jbean. Yes we have finished with that dentist and are using my dentist now. It's a longer drive but worth it just to have common sense shown.
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IT WILL BE TOO STRESSFUL FOR HER. LEAST INVASIVE THE BETTER. and get those sponges on a stick to brush/wash her teeth. Find them in the medical supply stores.

My mom in her mid 70's when her dentist retired, and this quack just got out of college thought and actually did take advantage of his elderly patients. He put Venures on her back teeth? Seriously? He would have her come in, and start the venure on the opposite side of mouth. She got home one day while I was there, she started crying. She said her mouth is falling apart :( I called my dentist, and took her immediately to see him. I also went to see the the "newbee" dentist. Small guy, and I am tall, so I found my tallest shoes to talk with him. I told him it was ridiculous to put her in so much stress. He looked up at me and agreed. And he had a whole office full of old folks waiting. He wasn't there yet, he was playing GOLF!
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MomcareFL Mar 2019
Thank you, MAYDAY, for your input. Your poor Mom---what an awful experience for her and for you. This dentist who proposed the 6 crowns + possible root canals is no spring chicken and is extremely reputable and well-rated; I think maybe the guys is just such a perfectionist that he has no common sense. Dentistry needs to be age-appropriate in terms of procedures and materials, and this guy obviously can't stand the idea of anything less than perfect teeth. I felt kind of sorry for him. He basically fired us as patients when he learned we went to my dentist. Told us not to come back. (Fine with us obviously!)
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