I don’t know what to do. My mom never took care of her teeth and avoided the dentist for years, and now at 74 she’s losing the rest of her teeth from a severe infection. She’s lost so much gum and bone that dentures won’t stay in. My uncle, who she lives with, said he can’t cosign because he’s retired, so he asked me to. But I’m really worried.
The loan for implants is huge, and my mom’s health is fragile … I’m not sure she’ll even make it through the 36 months it will take to repay. She would be using her Social Security, about $1,100 a month, to pay $500–$600 toward this loan.
At the same time, I need two implants myself that will cost around $4,000, and I was planning to finance them. I’m scared cosigning for her will hurt my ability to take care of my own dental needs. I feel guilty saying no, but if I say yes, I risk being stuck with a loan I can’t afford and undoing all the progress I’ve made paying off my credit cards and rebuilding my credit.
What should I do?
My Mom Needs a Cosigner for $18k Implants.
byu/ScallionExtreme9637 inpersonalfinance
Posted by ScallionExtreme9637
43 Comments
If you wouldn’t (or couldn’t) give mom $18,000, don’t co-sign for her
It’s essentially the same thing
> What should I do?
say no.
Dentures. Poor people choose dentures, not implants.
Say no. Get all the teeth pulled and she gets dentures.
You should say no.
Sorry mom but I can’t afford it. I can try to help out in other ways but co-signing isn’t in the cards
At 74 time to stop the vanity and just get dentures.
Time for a life of smoothies and mashed potatoes
Implants won’t last if she doesn’t take care of them. Don’t do it!
If she has significant gum and bone loss to be fitted for dentures, then she probably doesn’t have enough bone for implants.
You can’t afford it. That’s a really sad situation but it’s not your responsibility. You will absolutely end up paying for at least part of it.
You can’t give money you don’t have. You know the answer tell her mom I’m sorry i can’t.
Don’t burn your future trying to fix her past mistakes. This is not your issue. Dentures are not logical for someone her age, not in the slightest bit.
Under no circumstances should you sign first this. She cannot afford the implants with her income. Honestly, she technically doesn’t “need” them. Dental implants are a luxury item and not a required medical expense. Invest in yourself, financially, physically, and mentally.
No. What y’all need is a second opinion.
If she doesn’t have bone for dentures then implants have no chance at all. Get a second opinion.
Say noooooooo
You have to say no.
She’s 74. Time for dentures. Unfortunately this is what 7 decades of bad choices means. Do not cosign. If you co-sign then assume that you will be paying all $18,000 because that’s what you’re legally agreeing to.
Ok so permanent dentures, still need to be removed to be cleaned but are 4 implants to hold into place. My mom got this in mexico for less than $5 that was travel and 5 star hotel too. get a second opinion.
In addition to what people are saying about the bone loss and implants, implants are finicky and you have to be very careful. You have to eat certain things certain ways, have a bit of luck, and healing takes a long time. I did it with just a single implant and cannot imagine doing more than that at once. If one goes bad it could cascade and the patient is on the hook for that…
This is what medical tourism is for. Look into getting implants in Mexico or an Asia country. My mom got all her dental needs taken care of in Vietnam for less than 30% what was quoted in the US, and that includes the over $1000 flight ticket + hotel stay + eating out at tourist price for 3 weeks.
Your uncle is lying. He can co-sign. Retirement income is still income. He’ll just have to go through a bit more effort and show retirement account withdraws to show proof of income.
And don’t co-sign for your mom.
Nope. Not your problem. She gets to handle her own medical debt. She needs to get her old people insurance to cover it or ruin her own old people credit score. Not yours.
Never ever under any circumstance co-sign for anything.
She chose not to take care of her teeth. That’s on her, not on you. Say no.
Wait…first off, why is she getting implants if she has a severe infection and, more importantly, a bone issue? Typically, this is not an implant patient. If her health is fragile, new dentures are the way to go, not implants. Make sure they’re not trying to rip her off, I’ve worked in the dental field for many yrs. Try to get a 2 or 3 opinion. If she has bad teeth that are causing the infection, those need to be removed asap. Is the loss of bone due to medication?
Something isn’t adding up. Does she have a full set of dentures, or is it partial? Like, does she have teeth left?
I wouldn’t . Co sign means you pay when your mom can’t pay .
Bad idea, if you don’t take good care of your mouth, the implants will get infected and fail. Also, 18000 seems kinda high for implanted dentures. If they are trying to get her to implant all her individual teeth, they haven’t given her all her options.
Get a second quote. There are a lot of smarmy clinics out there that are doing some shady stuff with implants and charging double or triple of what an honest dentist would.
Also, you can do this process stepwise as she can pay it.
Also, if she is in poor health, it’s better that she takes on the debt by herself, as the debt is gone if she dies.
You cant I am sorry but you cant your mom made her bed she has to live with it. At 74 not having teeth isnt as big of a deal as it would be for you. She is not going to be able to pay half of her income on this loan. She should have saved up money for her retirement. IF you want to escape poverty you cant make this mistake
If she’s avoided the dentist for years I wouldn’t trust her to take care of the implants. This is a sorry, Mom, I just don’t have the money.
You can’t afford to co sign. You will regret doing it if you do. Take care of your own health first.
If you want to get your mom implants, just pay for them, or say no.
$18k as a co-signer is $18k that YOU owe.
For that price, you might look for top tier dental care across the border in Mexico and a nice vacation rental for a couple weeks. It’ll be a lot less than $18k all in.
Never set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.
As others have pointed out, you’re not getting the full story from your mom. Her reasoning for not getting dentures vs implants is not valid. Go with her to the dentist/dental surgeon to get the full picture. Shop around for second and third opinions.
The best thing she can do is get the rest of her teeth taken out, keep her gums clean (using mouthwash and brush her gums with tooth paste), and she may have to get on a soft foods and liquid diet. As for you, don’t take out the loan, it will be a waste of your money plus because of the state of her gums implants won’t happen. Focus on YOUR future, it’s your time now!
Just say you’re in no position to do it. I’m telling you now that you will be the one making the loan payments.
I just got implants with bone loss. Im a lot younger than your mom , Got a bone graft and full bottom implant here in Ontario $17000 ,, I had anaesthetic wouldn’t have been able for pain if your mom goes ahead tell be prepared for Pain x 10 and soreness in every part of her mouth ,, Oh and the liquid diet for3-6 months while healing..
I work with older adults professionally and I have seen those implants fail over and over. Don’t do it.
NEVER make a loan to friends or family. Ever. And never sign as a guarantor … it’s the same thing. You’ll be responsible.
If you feel that you can *gift* that money or *some* money to her for the procedure or some other procedure, then by all means do so and do not expect to be paid back.
But beyond that, the answer is no.
Do not co-sign. At her age it’s probably not a wise investment for her. She needs to consider traditional dentures. The price is far lower.
Am I the only one who thought OP was talking about a different kind of implants?
Absolutely don’t do it. Even aside from the financial/credit aspect of it, if her health is so fragile she might not live 36 months as you say, then such a major painful procedure is a bad idea.