David Lee

Nearly two months ago, I had my remaining teeth removed and immediate dentures put in their place. The journey has been anything but easy and definitely life-changing. As time goes on, I’m getting more used to having them and eating is not the chore it once was. Lessons definitely have been learned and I think I’m finished with the most difficult days.

Several things come to mind when I share my thoughts on this journey. The first is that no one could be prepared for the changes that getting dentures will bring about. I took so many things for granted when I had my own teeth. Getting dentures definitely changes the whole process of eating food. I’ve lost nearly twenty pounds since the beginning of this journey. Your taste receptors are definitely different and food doesn’t taste almost as good as it once did.

I have gradually gotten back to eating some foods I enjoyed before denture placement. Sandwiches have been especially challenging. I have found it’s difficult to use my front teeth to break the bread into pieces. But as we say, practice makes perfect and I am getting better. I did eat a pork chop one evening and I found that I have to cut the meat into small pieces before putting it in my mouth. I have as of yet to eat a steak,,,maybe one day soon.

One of the biggest differences in eating meals after having dentures installed is that eating meals is now really a chore! I have to focus more on each bite of food that I put into my mouth. Since the dentures contain teeth that aren’t connected to my body’s nervous system, I have to focus more on each bite. I don’t eat nearly the volume of food that I used to, which at least in part is responsible for my weight loss.

I have also found that I pay a whole lot more attention to other people’s teeth. I’ve noticed quite a few that are missing several teeth and wonder if they’ll be facing that same denture placement decision that I did. I also notice older folks who have their own beautiful, natural teeth and find myself being somewhat jealous. I only wish that I had taken better care of the teeth I had. It’s certainly true in life sometimes you don’t realize how much something means until it’s no longer there. Such has been the case in this dental journey.

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!

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!

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……

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.