Hello!
My husband is 65 years old. Years ago a dentist made him dentures: a complete upper denture and a partial lower one – I think he still has 4–6 of his own front teeth and the last teeth onto which he attaches the denture?!
He has never worn the upper denture. He says it makes him gag, that it "clacks" in his head as if stones were knocking together, and that food has no taste. He even removes the lower denture before eating because it is easier to eat without it!!!?
I find this very unpleasant and disgusting when, in a restaurant, he secretly takes the denture out of his mouth and wraps it in a handkerchief.....
I would like to know whether at his age there is a better prosthetic option that my husband could tolerate more easily, and how much it would cost. He does not know anything about this yet, but if I push him a little to go to the dentist, he says that such an investment is not worthwhile at 65...?
Otherwise he is in good physical condition, only chronic stomach problems trouble him – I claim this is because of poorly chewed food (because he has no teeth) – and of course he has been a heavy smoker since the age of 14!
Since dentistry has become a luxury for us ordinary citizens (of an independent, successful and relaxed country), I would like to know whether basic and supplementary health insurance covers the costs of implants for older people who cannot tolerate ordinary dentures, and what the cost would mean for us.
I hear that people go to Serbia, Hungary, even Romania and India, where this is supposedly very cheap.
Is this really safe?
Thank you in advance for an approximate cost estimate and any answer, and I wish you a happy and successful New Year 2010!