This Blog was posted by Clearview Dental -Your Cosmetic Dental Clinic Milton, Ontario

My Aging Mother Is Sensitive About Needing A Dental Implant

My mother is getting into her late sixties now, and is close to retirement. After getting divorced nearly ten years ago, she realized she was going to have to work longer than she had planned, and retire later than she wanted to, but she was in pretty good health and I figured at least this would keep her mind able and occupied. I had been nervous about her being alone for so long, but at least I knew she would keep busy with her job for several more years. More about ourCosmetic Dentist Milton,Onhere

Now, here we were, at the several more years point. She was close to wanting to retire but figured she had better get a couple more years in so that her salary would be hiring and her retirement fund would be padded a little bit more. I knew she would get social security at a decent rate and she would be covered by Medicare for her health but I worried about her anyway. And I worried with good reason, apparently. She called me last week with a toothache. She would not even have mentioned it I don’t think, except she was nibbling on a snack while we were on the phone and said “ouch” loudly at one point. I pestered her to tell me what was bothering her and she finally admitted she had a toothache. She had at least made an appointment to see her dentist but it would not be for several days still. I asked her if she had been lately and she said she still abides by her doctor’s preventive dentistry recommendations, with cleanings twice per year, but that she usually skips the exam part because they charge so much for two minutes of the dentist glancing at your teeth.

I told her to call me as soon as she was done with the dentist, which she did. I am pretty sure she waited a couple of hours but I was glad she called regardless. I had a feeling she was going to lose a tooth but I had not wanted to tell her that ahead of time or freak her out at all. I was right. The dentist wanted her to have at least one tooth extracted and a dental implant put in in its place. This did spook my mother a bit, but I talked her down after a while, explaining that it was no big deal. I knew she felt sensitive about getting old, so I tried to explain to her that they do this for anyone who has to lose a tooth, no matter their age. He also wanted her to have a root canal on a different tooth, and he would be able to do both at the same time.

I promised mom I would go with her so I could drive her to and from the appointment, and take care of her afterwards. I knew she was nervous but oral surgery is not a big deal, and I did my best to keep her calm and convince her that it would be best for her health in the long run if she removed unhealthy teeth and replaced them.