My mom takes her teeth out in the middle of the afternoon and puts them in random places. Would a sign telling her not to do that help?

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My mom takes her teeth out in the middle of the afternoon and puts them in random places. Would a sign telling her not to do that help?

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She puts them in random places sometimes like puzzles boxes or wrapped up in tissues. Yuck! I wondered about putting a sign telling her Don’t take your teeth out. Has anyone tried reminders using signs? Do they help?

Alzheimer's & Dementia Dementia Behaviors Family Caregiver Mom

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Like many of the people here, I've been in your shoes, (about finding your mom's teeth).I wrote a book about taking care of my mom when she had Alzheimer's called, "My Mother Has Alzheimer's and My Dog Has Tapeworms: A Caregiver's Tale." I have a chapter entitled, "Bridge Over a Troubled Daughter," (with a nod to Simon and Garfunkel's "A Bridge Over Troubled Waters"). My mom once accused someone of stealing her bridge. Do you know where it was? In her mouth! (When I told her this, she blushed, a rare occurrence.) She once hid her bridge in her purse, then locked her purse in her dresser drawer (which Hubby drilled a lock on, at her insistence,) and then she hid the key. We had to go on a scavenger hunt to find it. I don't know if reasoning with your mom will help; my mom lost her sense of reason when Alzheimer's hit, but thankfully, neither one of us lost our sense of humor.

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Thank you!

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Hi, Naia,

It does look like you have got quite a few really good answers here.
I just wanted to say [and with full respect] that is sounds so funny and certainly brought a smile to my face.
Once your mom passes; it might be one of the things that you happily share with others about her.
My dad would often just get naked and ask when supper was - lots more to all that ... etc... Now; and since my dad passed many years ago; it is one of the things that always make me smile.
Many of us, here, can relate!
Hopefully, as your mom keeps leaving them all over the place .... you won't have to keep finding them..... hide-and-seek all day long. :)))

-All the best and God Bless You
Bevel

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Oh my, sounds just like my mom!
She used to wrap dentures in napkins/Kleenex and lose them so many many times! Mom would swear she didn't take it out, blamed the demons. Notes probably wouldn't work if she's forgetful.
Moms caregiver would hold them for her in a container after meals, just so they wouldn't have to hunt all over the house for them.
Blessings to you for all you do!

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No but if you put a special cup in each room for her teeth, she's learn to put them in a cup

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PollyN: Imho, the more important question is 'why is she removing her dentures?' Are they not fitting right?

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false teeth must be uncomfortable. As the body ages the jaw bones shrink (due to lack of natal teeth)...the dentures become ill fitting...rub & often cause soreness, bruising & even ulcers.
you could organize for a dentist to check the fit. probably needs a simple realignment to improve the fit. Needs to be checked every 6 months
Additionally the dentist can give you a brightly colored plastic box for your Mother to put the false teeth in if they are bothering her. More hygienic, and easy to locate when she does take them out
If you want to get a small sense of how uncomfortable it is to wear those big cumbersome blocks in the mouth called false teeth get a set of plastic retainers...then wear them all day ...I promise by afternoon (probably before) you will be removing them in a hurry quick & fast
There are now "flexible dentures" They are much more comfortable to wear & to speak & chew in.. You could google & read about the pros & cons...Then call a couple of dentists & see if they offer them...its only 1 or 200 more than the current blocks called dentures
in answer summary: no a sign won't do a thing..except probably annoy mum :) She's taking them out for good reason

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I actually have worn a retainer for years after having to get braces for the second time. So if they are like that, I can imagine. Thank you so much for your reply. I probably should make a dental appointment.

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Try it and then tell us.

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When my mother reached the stage that putting away groceries and clean dishes got to be difficult, I tried labelling fridge/freezer and the kitchen cabinet. No effect. In response to this, my father said "your mother is illiterate" It took me a minute to understand what he meant, but when I did, I laughed my head off!

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These funny stories are refreshing. Thank you!

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This is in reference to the post by Riley. People with dementia often misplace things such as hearing aids and dentures. It's not because they are dumb. They have impaired mental function and memory problems. They get confused easily. They do not have to have dementia to have short term memory problems. I agree that it is not cost effective to continually replace these items. That being said, we should treat them kindly and with compassion. They are quite often aware of their deficits and it is cruel to infer that they are dumb. They're not!

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Is there some sort of necklace thing with a bag on it that you could try having her wear?

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liks a horses feed bag :)))

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Why not keep them out except when she is eating. When done eating and taken out to clean, put them away in a safe place being she does not need them until next meal..

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Excellent answer and there is the possibility that her dentures don’t fit right. My mother wouldn’t let anyone see her without hers, not even me, her caregiver and I wear dentures too

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Help her learn that EVERY time after eating, she should rinse her partials/dentures, her mouth and apply fresh dental adhesive as needed.

otherwise, partials etc can be very UNcomfortable…if that is the case, no wonder she removes them.

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People who do things like this are gone. All the reminders in the world will do nothing. I had someone who did this and the first time the family replaced the lost teeth. Then they kept disappearing. I put my foot down and said no (I was POA). Once it can happen but have the brains to know NO MORE REPLACEMENTS ARE AVAILABLE. If people are so "dumb" to do this, then they have to learn to live in the beds they have made - they do NOT get new teeth. No if's, and's or but's.

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And if you do find the missing teeth, check that they fit perfectly and do not cause pain. If everything is o.k. good, but do NOT replace them again and again.

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Dementia is different for everyone. Some people retain the ability to read "notes" and are helped by them, at least for a period of time. Some people don't respond to notes, often because they don't read well anymore or sometimes because they do not see them. You will not know what your loved one's situation is until you try.

Nothing that works is and makes their lives easier is "condescending".

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it wasn't the suggestion of the comment, it was the tone that was being objected to....communicaiton is 70% non verbal

'there are 2 things in life we can all afford, soap & manners'

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When MIL had to go into a facility, we had to clean out the house and sell it. In doing so, we found her false teeth, in her bedroom cupboard, in a butter bowl! She hadn't worn them in years anyway, but that's where they were. I doubt if she even remembered putting them there.

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My MIL died 4 years before my FIL. When we were cleaning out their house we found a complete set of dentures, neatly wrapped in Saran-wrap, un his sock drawer. We have no idea whose dentures they were, because my hubby's mom, brother, and father all were wearing their dentures when they died!

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Please do not put up signs! They won't work and are condescending. She wouldn't be doing this, if she was understanding what she is doing. She sounds like she may have beginning stages of dementia. It's a common symptom when people put things in odd places. Why is she taking teeth? Are they bothering her? Maybe leave them out (in your care) and only put them in when she has to eat. My mother did the same thing with her glasses. I got her several spare pair of them, we tried having the nurse at her memory care facility keep them, nothing worked. Now she's not wearing glasses at all and seems to be functioning. She got to a stage where everything on her face was bothering her, including the oxygen tubes when she was in the hospital. She'd tear them off.

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You can try a sign. It might be easier to have "teeth containers" that are labelled as such around the house for her to put them into.

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Make a sign and have her place them on the sign or next to it. My father would do the same thing because his dentures never fit good and he only wore them when he ate. But finding them was a challenge sometimes.

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Maybe her dentures hurt - if they feel very comfortable in her mouth, she might not be inclined to take them out.

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Exactly!
She shouldn't be aware that she's wearing dentures if they fit right. Take her to a dentist for a check-up.

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I have the same problem with my mom. She loses a lot of things. At the moment we are looking for her hearing aid. It is really frustrating. I know she can't help it but these things are expensive to replace! I have my mom keeping the denture container right on the table next to where she sits. That way she has a spot to put them if she takes them out without having to walk to the bathroom to store them. She's 93 and her mobility is not that good. Does your mom have a caregiver who comes in daily? Mom has someone who comes in twice a day, morning and night. I've asked them to make sure she puts her teeth in in the a.m. and in the container at night. I hope this helps. I know how hard it is when you are dealing with someone with dementia and memory issues. Best of luck to you and your mom!

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Costco will replace hearing aids, even if they are lost!!

I found the quality and price point beat the competitors, even before I learned they had a lost hearing aid replacement guarantee. (I believe they will replace them once for free in a 2 year span).

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My mom would take the signs down and put them away somewhere. 🙄

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:)))). 'people gonna do what they want to do, no matter what anyone says or does'

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Does she have a reason for this? Are they uncomfortable and by mid afternoon she has had enough of them? Would she use a "special box" to put them in. Perhaps "training" her to use the same place would be a better solution (if possible) than telling her to stop removing them if there is a comfort issue - or any other reason.

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She doesn’t say that they are uncomfortable. There is a container in her bathroom which is right off her bedroom not far from where she sits. The routine is to put them in that container at night before bed. She just randomly takes them out sometimes.

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My mother had hearing aids, and my dad was afraid she'd put them down or wrap them in a tissue to be thrown away. Because she also had macular degeneration, she couldn't see them when she put them down, even on a table nearby.

Dad bought her several shiny metal bowls (about 4 inches across), and he put one next to her chair at the breakfast table, one next to her snoozing chair, and one on her bedside table. He was able to train her that the hearing aids ONLY went in the shiny bowl, and it worked. I don't think she realized there were multiple bowls scattered around the house, but she could see them well enough, and each one was in one of her habitual spots.

The only time she lost her hearing aids were when a caregiver took them from her, wrapped them in a napkin, and yep, threw them away.

Try that with your mom. Repetition is the key, so be patient, but have identical receptacles for the teeth to land.

And by the way, they're probably painful or uncomfortable if she keeps taking them out.

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I like the shiny bowl idea - I can see that would be helpful for someone with deteriorating sight no matter what reason, we forget to make this sort of change to what we give people when we can see the bowl easily. Great idea Dad!

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My home was covered with post-it’s. A new sign is noticed but after that it is just part of the wallpaper— meaningless. I found a device for my father years ago that could work. He was in a wheelchair and forgot he couldn’t walk so I clipped a small recorded device to the wall and to his collar and when he started to move my recorded voice would say “Dad please sit down”. Now let’s put our heads together to find an idea for a recording that says, “Mom please put your teeth in the case.”Perhaps “hey Google” or “Alexa” set a reminder every 15 minutes telling Mom to put her teeth in the case. (Until it becomes as much of a habit as taking them out) Good luck.

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How about several plastic dental boxes placed in strategic places including her pocket? I put the shallow top of the white dental case on my mom’s dresser with “please put teeth here” to remind her to take them out before she lays down for a nap or for the night.

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LOL no advice but fun memories of Grandma. She would carry her teeth in her pocket and only wear them for meals. They didn’t fit right but she would not go to the dentist to have them corrected. I was so upset at her funeral when’s they put them in her mouth for the viewing. My cousins all agreed they should have been in her pocket.

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Lol

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It depends on "where" she is in the dementia journey.
My Husband would not have understood notes. Probably from very early on and most definitely as he declined. I can't say as to what "stage" because he never followed the typical "stage" decline.
Do you use notes for anything else? If so do they work?
I have to ask a few questions though.
Do they bother her? Is that why she is taking them out?
Does she remove them after a meal? Does she look for them before eating?
If they bother her but she does not have a problem when she is eating I would have her remove them after each meal. You can place them in a container where they will be easy for you to find. Next time she needs them you will know where they are and can give them back to her to place in her mouth.
If she is on pureed foods and they bother her I would just not bother with them at this point. (from what I just looked up not wearing dentures should not effect the jawbone, as a matter of fact wearing dentures can cause some bone loss)

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No. She doesn’t complain about them. She just randomly takes them out lately. She eats regular food, not puréed. She takes them out sometimes right before we are about to eat dinner. It’s just frustrating. I know it is a very little thing though compared to so many things that people have to deal with.

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My mother with MCI did very well with "notes" printed on an 8.5"x11" paper in a dark size 20-28 font and posted on the walls (like our address and how to use her cell phone) as well as a daily "checklist" with routine things tasks like brush your teeth, get the newspaper, etc. and a "take your cane" reminder posted on the exterior door. I also posted notes with "plates", "cups", "cereal" on the kitchen cabinets when Mom moved into my house.

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My hubby takes his teeth out multiple times a day. He can never remember that he has them in or out. He has new dentures that fit him perfectly. I think the reason he does it, is because it's one of the only things he can do by himself and it gives him a sense of control. So I just roll with it.

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I think you’re trying to treat the symptom. The real questions is, why is she doing this in the first place? Does she think it’s nighttime? Do they bother her? Hurt her? Is she worried or anxious about losing them? I would try to get to the root of the problem.

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I don’t know. When I ask her she doesn’t know. She doesn’t complain about them buying her. She is very confused about time of day. I have found her all undressed, teeth out, asleep in bed as early as 2:30 in the afternoon. So she may think it is almost time for bed. The routine is to put them in a container in the bathroom which I usually get ready for her each night. She can do it herself but has sometimes forgotten and just left them in her bed or wrapped in a tissue by her night stand. So I get it ready for her each night.

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My mom takes her teeth out in the middle of the afternoon and puts them in random places. Would a sign telling her not to do that help?

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