PHOTOS: A Challenge Of Old Age – Keeping Your Teeth

By Heidi de Marco
Dec. 8, 2015
Violeta Anderson, 80, has dementia and lives at a group home in Valley Village, Calif. Her daughter Ada Anderson helps her get ready for her dental appointment on Nov. 6, 2015. (Heidi de Marco/KHN)
Anderson looks for clothes for her 80-year-old mother. (Heidi de Marco/KHN)
Anderson buttons up her mother’s sweater while they both sing a song in Spanish. (Heidi de Marco/KHN)
Ada Anderson helps her mother, Violeta Anderson, brush her teeth before her dentist appointment in November 2015. (Photo by Heidi de Marco/KHN).
Ada Anderson wheels her mother Violeta Anderson to her dental appointment at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC on Friday, November 6, 2015 (Photo by Heidi de Marco/KHN).
Ada Anderson discusses her mother’s dental issues with Dr. Roseann Mulligan, an associate dean at University of Southern California’s dental school who specializes in geriatric dentistry, on Nov. 6, 2015. (Heidi de Marco/KHN)
Violeta Anderson was given an oral sedative to help her relax before her dental appointment. Her daughter, Ada Anderson, holds her hand. (Heidi de Marco/KHN)
Ada Anderson shows her mother how to open her mouth so the dentists can work on her teeth. (Heidi de Marco/KHN)
Student dentists work quickly on Violeta Anderson while she is sedated. At her last appointment, Anderson was not very cooperative so her visit was cut short. (Heidi de Marco/KHN)
Ada Anderson holds her mother’s hand to calm her down. Ada says her mother is a tough patient but said she is determined to ensure she continues to get good dental care. (Heidi de Marco/KHN)
Dr. Roseann Mulligan looks over Violeta Anderson’s x-rays. Anderson will need further dental work. (Heidi de Marco/KHN)
Violeta Anderson was given nitrous oxide through a small mask that fits over her nose to help her relax. Ada Anderson rests her hand on her mother’s forehead as she wakes up from being sedated. (Heidi de Marco/KHN)
Dr. Roseann Mulligan and student Coral Seamount discuss the best way to treat Violeta Anderson. Dental schools are making an effort to train students and encourage them to enter the field of geriatric dentistry. (Heidi de Marco/KHN)

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