I recently took my sister to the dentist and it turns out she has 2 abscess wisdom teeth that are virtually rotted out and need to be extracted. A few weeks back Marsha suggested a dental check when I posted a concern about my sister's recent decline. (Thank you Marsha!)

My problem is that my sister does not have any dental insurance and she has no money coming in. (She was denied for disability: which she is currently appealing). Our mother is her primary care giver and doesn't seem to be overly concerned about her teeth. I am wondering how I approach my mom to get her to see that we MUST take care of this problem. My sister won't ask for help with this (she doesn't want to be a charity case) but I feel that our family needs to take the responsibility to get this done. I can help, but I need my mom's help too. I simply don't have all of it.

Is there any research out there to show that this could be affecting her HD decline?
How do I stress the importance without upsetting/offending my mom?

There is no research suggesting that infections can affect HD decline. I was basing my suggestion on years of listening to families. Your mother is relying on pain as an indicator of whether there is a serious need for dental or medical care for your sister and she cannot do that anymore. I would tell her that HD frequently interferes with the perception of pain. (It can go either way, normally painful conditions might not result in pain and about 10 percent of patients experience pain that doesn't appear to have a source other than neurological dysfunction). It's not uncommon for people to have serious UTIs and dental abscesses and not feel the level of pain they should feel or even any pain at all. Untreated infections are a serious threat to health, HD or not.

It may upset/offend your mother but it is possible that the neglect of your sister's teeth can cause serious heart problems. Can you enlist the help of the dentist who saw your sister? Perhaps your mother would listen to him/her. You are right to be so concerned. DH had a tooth giving him problerms last year and if nothing else having it taken care of reduced his stress level. Your sister doesn't need the added stress on her system to fight infection either. If cost is an issue you might be able to find a dentist who will do it for little or no cost depending on the circumstances.

Best Wishes,
Audrey

several years ago, my ex's HD neuro was telling him how he MUST take care of his teeth. He told us the story of one of his patients with several rotten teeth who refused to go to the dentist. The neuro told him if he didn't go, he would have to release him as a patient because the infection could go to his heart, and he would not be be able to help him then. He went to the dentist and kept the neuro!

If you're near a university dental school. many of them have free clinics. She would be treated by a student very closely supervised by a professor.

Will

Everyone is absolutely correct. abscess teeth can be very dangerous, even life threatening if not treated. It's bad for the heart and brain. You can call your local hospitals. Many times they will have a dental clinic and will treat for free. I work in a dental office and I know that several dentists in our area volunteer their time for such situations. Many dentists also will take a certain # of cases that they are willing to do at no cost.

Thank you for all the advice! I will be getting on the phone tomorrow and start making some calls. I am just upset right now because my mom seems mad at me for this, like it's a bother to her. We don't get along and she is really taking my sisters situation hard. (HD came from my dad's side of the family). I think she is depressed and she doesn't handle my sister rationally. And my sister is not always rational (not her fault) but my mom is seriously depressed right now and it seems she needs some help. I can't stand to be around her. Sorry, to be fair she could say the same of me: except I'm not depressed. Not anymore.

I think in the long run your mom might be happy that you took charge of the situation. As the wife of someone with HD I can understand her feelings to a point. It's very hard to accept that life will never be the same and I know for me, that I often get irritated very easy. You go from what seems like a normal life to all of a sudden having the world on your shoulders. I'm not saying that she should be taking it out on you, that's not fair, but she is probably afraid and doesn't know how to control how she is feeling, especially when it's your child that is sick. I think it's great that you are taking control of this situation! Your sister is lucky to have you!

Hi there, research on the web dental insurance. It is really tough to get paid from it but you will find a lot of dental programs that offer services at half price or even less. You pay like $60 a month and can have your entire family on it. I don't have dental insurance and I don't have a job I could get it through so I went this route. It works out well for me.