My Adventure with Dentures – Part Nine

It’s been five weeks since I’ve gotten a full set of dentures and I’m beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve been able to eat some of the heartier foods that I actually enjoy and even though there are still challenges, it’s at least getting better.

One of the challenges of getting new dentures is learning to eat all over again. It’s quite different using prosthetic teeth that aren’t your own. Since there are no nerves and the teeth aren’t physically your own, it’s a whole different feeling when you bite and chew on food. I’ve gradually started working my way back to some of the foods I previously enjoyed eating.

After watching a YouTube video of a denture wearer eating a hamburger, I thought it would be worth a try. I got two plain cheeseburgers at the local fast food joint and separated them into small bites that I thought I could handle. Although there was some slippage on my bottom set of dentures, I claimed it was a success overall.

I have gotten brave and since those first two burgers have eaten some foods I formerly was intimidated to eat. I got broiled flounder at a fish camp, as well as a sweet potato and had success with those. I went to the local grill and had both a chicken salad sandwich and egg salad sandwich and at those with no issues. I also tried a piece of pizza and although they were out of anchovies, I was able to eat everything but the crunchy crust without any issues. I felt like I was making great progress.

When I’m substitute teaching, the cafeteria almost always has crustless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and although they’re very soft, the peanut butter does tend to want to stick to my top set of dentures. I’ve had chopped BBQ and a livermush sandwich as well.

It’s still a real chore to eat any food in a usual quantity. It’s a real chore to eat the foods I’ve listed above and several times have had more leftovers than I would normally have. I also have made note of the fact the foods aren’t quite as flavorful, but that’s still a work in progress.

I’m pleased that I’ve been able to return to some of my favorite foods and look forward to trying out even more. Perhaps one day soon, I’ll be able to sink my teeth into a juicy steak. Patient progress, not perfection!

My Adventure with Dentures – Part Nine

It’s been five weeks since I’ve gotten a full set of dentures and I’m beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve been able to eat some of the heartier foods that I actually enjoy and even though there are still challenges, it’s at least getting better.

One of the challenges of getting new dentures is learning to eat all over again. It’s quite different using prosthetic teeth that aren’t your own. Since there are no nerves and the teeth aren’t physically your own, it’s a whole different feeling when you bite and chew on food. I’ve gradually started working my way back to some of the foods I previously enjoyed eating.

After watching a YouTube video of a denture wearer eating a hamburger, I thought it would be worth a try. I got two plain cheeseburgers at the local fast food joint and separated them into small bites that I thought I could handle. Although there was some slippage on my bottom set of dentures, I claimed it was a success overall.

I have gotten brave and since those first two burgers have eaten some foods I formerly was intimidated to eat. I got broiled flounder at a fish camp, as well as a sweet potato and had success with those. I went to the local grill and had both a chicken salad sandwich and egg salad sandwich and at those with no issues. I also tried a piece of pizza and although they were out of anchovies, I was able to eat everything but the crunchy crust without any issues. I felt like I was making great progress.

When I’m substitute teaching, the cafeteria almost always has crustless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and although they’re very soft, the peanut butter does tend to want to stick to my top set of dentures. I’ve had chopped BBQ and a livermush sandwich as well.

It’s still a real chore to eat any food in a usual quantity. It’s a real chore to eat the foods I’ve listed above and several times have had more leftovers than I would normally have. I also have made note of the fact the foods aren’t quite as flavorful, but that’s still a work in progress.

I’m pleased that I’ve been able to return to some of my favorite foods and look forward to trying out even more. Perhaps one day soon, I’ll be able to sink my teeth into a juicy steak. Patient progress, not perfection!

My Adventure with Dentures – Part Eight

I’ve officially passed the one month mark since the oral surgery to extract my remaining teeth and putting my dentures in place. It’s definitely not been the easiest of life transitions, but I’m beginning to see some improvement over time.

The one month mark of my adventure with dentures has come and gone. With each passing day, the transition seems to be a bit easier. Yesterday was a pretty big day as I had my first substitute teaching assignment (the first one was called off due to weather) and my third visit to the dentist.

I had some apprehension with my subbing gig. I knew at times that I had been struggling when make certain sounds when speaking. All that worry was for naught, as I didn’t struggle as much as I thought I would. The day went rather quickly and overall was a positive experience. I had a peanut butter jelly sandwich for lunch, as well as some green beans. Since I had a dentist appointment, I also got to leave a bit early.

My third dental visit went well. He checked out the progress with my gums healing and also examined the area that had to have repeat surgery the week before. For this visit, he started the process of realigning my lower set of dentures. That process involved building up the surfaces of the parts of the denture that were rubbing and causing irritation. He also gave some recommendations to help with the transition, such as gargling after every meal.

This was by far my most successful visit to the dentist in the process. We’ve made and appointment for two weeks away to realign the top set of dentures. This process for those is taking a bit longer, since the part of the jaw they’re resting on just had another surgery.

One day at a time……

My Adventure with Dentures – Part Seven

A big part of this journey learning to live with a complete set of dentures is psychological in nature. Although I know full well I shouldn’t be concerned with what other people think, I sometimes wonder if others can take note of the fact there’s something different about the way I appear and the way I talk. I guess you could say that’s a part of vanity, but still, it makes me wonder.

I saw a family in the cafe’ yesterday that I hadn’t seen in quite a while. Being the good people they are, they struck up a conversation with me. I didn’t share any details about my recent dental work, but instead discussed what we’d normally talk about. All the while, I realized that certain enunciations that came out of my mouth were different than they’d been before. I was wondering how noticeable it was. I wondered also if the appearance of my new teeth was noticeable. These people are fine folks and knew better than to think it made any difference. But still I wondered….

Other than these blog entries and talking with close friends and family, I don’t readily share that I’ve had all this dental work done. I wonder how noticeable it really is. And then I wonder whether all of that really matters anyway. For a person whose livelihood for most of life has been talking with others, it’s a pretty big deal.

Today I was supposed to substitute teach for the first time since having the dentures placed. I was thinking ahead and wondering how all that would go. But due to inclement weather conditions, school was canceled for today and so that will have to wait for another day. I did call the pharmacy today before putting my dentures in and could really tell a difference in the way I sounded, but was readily able to communicate and get an answer to the question I had.

Another part of the psychology of all this journey is wondering what others think about someone who’s had to have all their teeth replaced. I had issues with dental health from a young age and as I got much older, it only seemed to escalate. I know a part of that is daily maintenance, something I had always struggled with. But I also have learned that a part of it can be genetic as well. At the same time, I realized I have friends who are missing several prominent teeth and that definitely hasn’t made me think any less of their friendship. So in the bigger picture, does any of that really matter?

I know all this is a part of the process of learning new skills and getting used to a new norm. I need to remember to be patient, not be so hard on myself, and to take it one day at a time. So much in life is easier if I choose to handle it that way.

My Adventure with Dentures – Part Six

Never would I ever have thought a McDonalds plain cheeseburger could taste so good. It had been nearly a month since I’d had anything close to what I’d call “normal” food. I decided on a whim to stop by McDonalds and get two regular cheeseburgers. It was by far the best thing I’ve had to eat since getting my new set of dentures.

Getting back to being able to eat what I call “normal” food has been a major goal of mine since getting my dentures 3 1/2 weeks ago. My daughter had made lasagna for me on Christmas day, but I really didn’t feel confident enough to eat a whole lot of it. There had been plenty of jello, pudding, yogurt, and ice cream over the past several weeks, but I was really wanting a juicy burger.

I had watched a video on YouTube of someone showing how to eat a burger. You are indeed learning how to eat all over again. Lo and behold, his upper set of dentures fell out on his second bite. This convinced me that when I tried to eat something more substantial, I needed to do it in the privacy of my home. So this past Friday night was indeed that night.

I took the first burger out and cut it in half and then fourths. I ate the first fourth and did pretty well. And before you know I had finished half the burger, then the whole burger. I’m not going to lie; things don’t have quite the taste they did when I had my natural teeth. The upper denture is covering the whole roof of my mouth, cutting down on your ability to fully taste.

I took a bit of a rest before starting on the second burger. It does take quite a bit of work to get the food cut up and get it chewed to be able to swallow it. I cut the second burger exactly as I did the first and then proceeded to eat it. I felt like it was a major accomplishment in my denture adventure. I have found, at least for me, that it really is like learning to eat all over again. And since I have no recollection of learning to eat as a child, I really count it as my first.

Tomorrow will be my first substitute teaching assignment with my new dentures. I have been dealing with learning how to speak clearly with the hardware in my mouth and we’ll just have to see how that all goes. It’s just a half-day assignment, so there’s that going for me.

One day at a time and in the case of eating, one meal at a time.

My Adventure with Dentures – Part Five

My journey with denture placement is three and a half weeks into the making. The struggle has been real, with several setbacks along the way. But I am to say today was one of my better days and that’s a good thing.

After experiencing a lot of looseness with my new dentures yesterday, I decided to use adhesive today. The dentures had come with two trial sizes of Poli-Grip, so I figured that would be safe to use. I applied the adhesive to the dentures per the instructions on the box and experienced one of my better days today.

I have realized that I need to eat foods during the day instead of waiting for one meal. For breakfast, I went to the local cafe’ and had two scrambled eggs with cheese and spiced apples. It was by far the easiest time I had eating since I got my dentures. I counted it as a victory in this journey.

For supper tonight, I had a bowl of Irish potato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. I attempted to eat the sandwich without first dunking it into the soup and had fairly good success. I have still found that the crust is a bit hard to chew. With some of the sandwich, I dunked it into the soup and ate it that way. Once again, there was much-reduced slippage like I had experienced in the past.

One of the things I’ve taken note of in my journey is that I really miss eating foods that are my favorites. I yearn for the days I was able to eat a livermush sandwich, a juicy hamburger, or a hot dog. As I continue to get more experience, I’m hoping the day will come when I’m able to eat those once again.

I have been planning a strategy for trying those delicacies for the first time, namely getting them to go and eating them here at home. I know it will be a slow process and can say I would be self-conscious trying to do so in public. So perhaps one day next week, I’ll drop by the grill and order one of those to try here at home.

My second strategy will go to a local buffet and sample foods. The main advantage with this strategy is that there are many more types of food to try and if I find something to difficult to chew on, there’s no big loss. I think I’d be a lot less conscious of eating at public here, since there are many more people at one time in the restaurant.

I have to admit the most difficult part of my denture adventure has been the psychological part. Having all your teeth removed is traumatic enough and then of course, learning how to eat all over again. The setback earlier in the week and a second oral surgery was another big blow. Hopefully things will continue to heal and I’ll be able to eat more freely as time progresses.

My Adventure with Dentures – Part Four

It’s been quite a journey over these past three weeks,,,Getting my remaining ten teeth extracted and beginning the process of getting used to life with dentures. I had no idea what the “denture life” would be like. It’s been difficult to learn how to eat all over again. There’s a huge difference between eating with your natural teeth and eating with dentures. And then there were a couple of unexpected turns as well.

A part of the initiation into wearing dentures is to go to the dentist to make adjustments. As the healing process continues, swelling decreases, and adjustments must be made to ensure the dentures fit correctly. The first visit the week after the surgery was uneventful. They did what I surmised was a bit of filing to the upper and lower dentures. He also examined the gums to ensure they were healing from the extractions.

My second visit to the dentist was a bit more traumatic. Upon examining the dentures, filing was once again done. But on examination of the jaw are, there was a bone protruding from the number 11 tooth area. The dentist explained that this was something that would need to be attended to, which likely meant another visit to the oral surgeon. The odd part about it all is that I hadn’t experienced any discomfort from that particular area. An appointment was made with the surgeon to see him the following day.

A lot ran through my mind over the remainder of the day. It was very disheartening to know that there would have to be more surgery done. And that can tend to play a number on your mental well-being. And then there was the financial part, not knowing how much all this would cost in a process that had already cost over nine thousand dollars. Needless to say, I wasn’t looking forward to the visit on several fronts.

The oral surgeon had seen pictures my dentist had taken and did a hands-on exam of the affected area. He concluded that the bony area could be filed down, which he could do right away in his office. That all caught me by surprise, and before I knew it, I was headed to the treatment room.

The process was performed using a local anesthetic. It was over within a short period, and then I was given instructions as to what to do for the rest of the day. I went to the pharmacy to get the medications he had prescribed and was then headed home. I don’t plan on doing much for the rest of the day and hope this procedure will permanently fix that problem.

Given tomorrow is New Year’s Day, I’ll wait until Thursday to call my dentist to find out when he would like me to come back for my next visit. I’m hoping that this bump in the road is just a temporary setback and won’t require any further treatment.

My Adventure with Dentures – Part Three

What I considered to be the most difficult part of the process was over and done. I had ten teeth extracted and upper and lower dentures put in place. The rest should be a cakewalk, right? Little did I know what I was in store for over the next couple of weeks.

My daughter allowed me to stay with her over the next several days. I slept for much of that first day and honestly don’t remember a whole lot. I did have a lot of drainage of blood and saliva, but all that was to be expected. I was told to keep the dentures in my mouth for seventy-two hours. This would help in controlling bleeding and aid in healing. There was gauze in my mouth that also had to be changed periodically. My daughter was a most-excellent nurse.

Most of what I ate for the next week consisted of foods like jello, pudding, yogurt, and ice cream. I was on both Hydrocodone and Prednisone, as well as penicillin. I won’t say it was totally pain-free, but certainly nothing major. I honestly don’t remember much about those next three days. There was a lot of sleeping involved and I was appreciate of the quiet rest I was getting.

The next big day was the end of the waiting period to leave the dentures in my mouth. I will have to admit I was somewhat tense about taking them out. But that seemingly went off without a hitch. I would take them out each evening and clean them off before putting them in a water-filled container. I would take them out the following day and put them back in place.

The biggest hurdle that I faced during that first week was the psychological effect that the whole process was having on me. I didn’t feel that I could eat anything that I was used to eating before the surgery. I tried unsuccessfully to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I decided with the next sandwich it would be best if I removed the crust. There are several local restaurants that I frequented each week and at each of those places, I couldn’t think of anything on their menu I thought I’d be able to eat.

There was a whole different feel with these prosthetic teeth. They made me feel like I had a mouth full of hardware. The most noticeable feature was the part of the upper denture that covered the roof of my mouth. They also had a big effect on sounding out words and speaking. It definitely wasn’t like anything I had experienced before.

I could tell that this transition to wearing a full set of dentures would not be any walk in the park. My journey had only begun.

Part Four: The Recovery Period Continues…

My Adventure with Dentures – Part Two

The decision had been made that I would have my remaining teeth pulled and the same day, receive a set of dentures. The day for surgery had come. Not exactly something you look forward to, but a necessary part of the process. My daughter played a key role in helping me get through this day and the days that followed.

The day of the surgery was upon me. I had to take ten milligrams of diazepam one hour before my appointment time. This is a regimen that I usually follow before any dental procedure. It greatly reduces any anxiety that I might be experiencing, which in the past has caused problems. My daughter picked me up at my house and off we went.

I waited only a short while in the oral surgeon’s waiting area. My daughter was given instructions on how to help me with the post-surgery recovery. I was called back to the operating room and immediately noticed how cool it was. I’m told this helps with making sure the area remains sterile. Once I laid back in the chair, they pulled up an intimidating set of surgical tools. I’m glad I didn’t have much of a chance to have those staring me in the face.

The doctor came in and started the IV that would deliver the medication needed to put me to sleep. The nurse had already hooked up the EKG machine and blood pressure monitor. I remember feeling a slight prick and then the surgeon pushing the meds into the line with a hypodermic. I remember him saying, “Breathe,” and then, “Breathe deeper.” The only thing I remember immediately following that was telling him “I thought I was supposed to be asleep during this procedure.” Of course, I was asleep for the entirety of that, and I am grateful for that.

I had ten teeth that were extracted during the process, and dentures that had been crafted for me were placed in my mouth. They said that immediate placement of the dentures would aid in controlling the bleeding that would naturally occur. Stitches were also placed where the teeth were extracted. Gauze would also be used to help control the bleeding and that’s one of the main tasks my daughter attended to once the surgery was over.

Part Three: The Recovery Period Begins…

My Adventure with Dentures – Part One

Dental well-being is something I’ve struggled with for quite some time. At a recent cleaning appointment at my dentist’s office, I was given several options going forward and decided it was best, both from a dental and financial standpoint, to get upper and lower dentures. I will, with the next several blogs, detail what that journey has been like and continue keeping you up-to-date with future progress.

My regular six-month dental cleaning was on the day before Halloween. The hygienist did an excellent job with the ten remaining teeth I had intact, and then the dentist came in for the exam. As he went through the upper and lower rows of teeth, he mentioned what would need to be done with several teeth. Upon hearing this and understanding the extractions would be necessary with two of the remaining teeth, I asked at what point dentures would be possible. After some discussion, we came to the conclusion that the optimal option would be to get both an upper and lower set of dentures. This would also mean oral surgery to remove the remaining teeth I had intact.

The journey had begun….I got an appointment with an oral surgeon and scheduled surgery for one month later. At the same time, I returned to the dentist to get imaging done so dentures could be ordered in sufficient time to have them placed immediately following surgery.

Part Two: Oral surgery and denture placement