Returned from Hospital with no teeth

I can see how they would be easily lost but it's so debilitating for a patient's recovery if they can't bloody eat or talk properly! Greater care should be taken of things like hearing aids and teeth.

My fiend was in hospital last year and the same thing happened. She reported it to PALS so they set an investigation off which sadly all came to nothing. They said as she was of sound mind, she should have taken note of what was done with them. Never mind that she was rushed in and in a massive amount of pain.

They said they had asked her some questions at the time that they potentially went missing (when she went for a camera down the throat) - name, DOB etc, and because she could answer them she was fully aware and should have kept track of her personal belongings. It cost her over £700 to get a replacement, the hospital would accept no liability.

Hopefully your Dad won't get the same result :(

Christ alive that's bad, your poor father

He's lucky he has you op, sorting all this out for him

I don't disagree but right now today it won't get the dentures quickly and if you're overseas and can only make a few calls, my point was the dentist side is the priority.
File written complaints etc but they will take time to work though

For context, dentures and hearing aids get removed for head and neck scans, both CT and MRI.

Many elderly people present having fallen so it's not unusual to scan to find out a potential cause for the fall, and look for head injuries sustained.

Not making excuses, just giving reasons.

@Lollygaggle trust me I became horribly familiar with the machinations of nhs dentistry during my fruitless battle to help my aunty.

the added kicker in her case was that she lived extremely remotely, in an area 200 miles from me.

it was a depressing nightmare for her. She was so embarrassed by how she looked as well as the problems with a limited diet. It totally destroyed any last vestiges of dignity for her.

Sorry @norma1980 this is probably not what you want to hear but I think you might have do either pay or resign your dad to it. I’m so sorry.

I would focus on both.
By getting a financial penalty the hospital may change their policy and come up with a solution to stop dentures and glasses going missing.

This happened to us too, sent FIL home without his hearing aids which had cost him a fortune, as he'd paid privately for them. Also, he was extremely vulnerable and there was a long gap between being dropped off and the carers arriving. We were given very little notice that he was being sent home and I had to leave my job (ironically, as a Carer) to get to his house and look after him.

To be fair , pre 2006 , dentists used to do home visits on the NHS. When the new contract came in home visits became the responsibility of NHS commisssioning services . In my area there has been ,effectively, no home visit service since. Those areas that do it is mostly done by community dental service with massive waits for treatment.
Google domicillary dentist for details of home visits in your area. Most will be private. Some authorities do commission domicillary services though.

The problem is now, even , privately there are so many regulations to comply with to go on emergency visits that unless that is what you specialise in , for most dentists it is not worth equipping themselves to do home visits.

You have to have the same oxygen , resuscitation kit, emergency drugs kit etc as you would in the surgery , you have to have a nurse with you , car insurance to cover carrying oxygen, specialised kit for home visits etc. You can’t just turn up with impression materials , wax and a wax burner like you used to in the old days.

This happened to my aunt and despite My very best efforts, she sadly died 9 months later, still with no teeth. they were thrown away by a cleaner.

no dentist - including her own - would countenance going out to see her, the hospital’s own dental department “couldn’t help” and her own Dentist wouldn’t make a new pair without her coming in for a new fitting which she couldn’t manage. It broke my heart tbh.

I truly hope you manage to find a solution op. Your poor dad.

Good advice from pp’s in regard to getting new teeth.
You might find some of the cost might be covered by his house contents insurance- it’s worth asking? In the meantime, there are some companies that supply soft and puréed meals that could be nutritionally better than soup.
https://www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com/about-our-food/softer-foods?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_V8ARoKLocckarA5wFUiZsYnOeT&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiojym5C-iwMVWpFQBh3q0gqxEAAYASAAEgKDpPD_BwE

Oh your poor Dad OP.

This happened to my Dad when he was in hospital for a couple of weeks. I went in to visit him and he couldn't find his teeth. I hunted around and asked staff. The next day they still hadn't turned up so I got down on my hands and knees and there they were, sat underneath his locker beside his bed. Goodness knows how they got down there and also that no staff member had bothered to look properly. He also lost his toilet bag with all his shaving kit in during this stay but luckily he got that back.

I would keep looking for them under cupboards and everywhere they could have slid off his bed and ended up hidden. It's such a nightmare! Hope you get it sorted for him.

Yes! It's so frustrating, do they not have a procedure to deal with this?

Each hospital has their own pals services so just google names of hospital and PALS and it should find the website page

I'd focus efforts on getting replacement dentures rather than complaining to PALS or hospital. Yes of course they should have bagged his stuff but also A&E is a busy messy place and it's hard to keep track of stuff. It was probably removed for an x-ray or something and then forgotten
Whilst you may have a decent case to argue with the hospital it's not going to be resolved quickly so if your priority is dentures, focus all efforts on that

You can try for money via PALS. They will advise you of process in your area. The hospital amy be able to arrange treatment from community dentists but there are large waiting list for that.

Dental hospital will only take on patients that are very difficult to treat or that are suitable for students to treat. I’ve attached a photo of the process from Birmingham dental hospital. It takes many visits , each visit is an hour or more and there may well be a waiting list .

I’m not at all surprised. An elderly relative of mine went into hospital for a minor procedure. She had been treated for and recovered from mouth cancer in the past and had a false plate which formed the roof of her mouth. Without it she was unable to eat or speak properly.

Guess what! The hospital lost it. Then they decided it was too risky to feed her so didn’t bother doing anything. She was admitted on a Tuesday for this minor op and died 10 days later after utter neglect by the hospital. Went in as a fairly mobile and chirpy 90 year old and never came home.

We didn’t even get an apology.

My mum eventually got a dentist to come to the house and do a check and I think had impressions done - it was the only way she could access dental care. She’s lost glasses and clothes in hospital visits (she has also come home with lovely warm blankets, it seems very random).

Poorly, elderly people can’t be expected to keep a track on their belongings in hospitals. Staff should make sure everything stays with the patient. Easier said than done.
What can help is if people have a denture pot with their name on. A brightly coloured pot. Same for glasses cases, men often have dark ones but a bright apple green case stands out.
Also worth getting some stick on, washable name labels for clothing in advance of hospital admission. They’re all fairly cheap.
As OP has demonstrated, the loss of items can create real difficulties.

I know this happens all the time but I'm genuinely curious.... why does it happen? Why are they removed from the patient at all? And why dont the patients keep a track of them either? Like unless dementia is an issue (and I'd hope then that people wouldnt be alone at the hospital either then) why do so many people get separated from their belongings, surely you always keep them with you?

Regarding false teeth getting binned, this was a common occurrence.

They get wrapped in tissues and put on the side, 'hidden', because, frankly, many are disgustingly to look at. I'm not apportioning blame, just stating a reality.