It's been two months since I had all my teeth pulled and joined the world of denture wearers. So, I think it is high time for an update.
I realize that this will be a slow gradual process. I'm told that new dentures take about 6 months before they will fit adequately. The reason for this is that it takes the gums about that long to heal. Once healed, I will return to the denturist for a final fitting and then I should be good to go...at least, in theory!
I'm very slowly getting the hang of trying to talk and eat with a refrigerator in my mouth! :>) Though many people told me that, within a short period of time, I would no longer be conscious of this apparatus gracing my palate, I'm extremely conscious of its presence. Not self-conscious, mind you, just conscious that it is there.
Since my lower gums are healing faster than my upper ones, the lower denture is not fitting as snug as before. Last week my wife suggested I might like to try using a denture adhesive to help keep the lower one better in place.
Initially, I resisted this idea. My wife (who also has dentures) always seems to be fumbling around looking for her tooth glue. It seems that she has to glue her teeth in several times per day and such a prospect didn't seem very appealing to me. Still, I finally decided to give it a shot.
It turns out that a little adhesive has been very helpful, but I've run into the opposite problem of my wife. While the sticky stuff only seems to work for her for brief periods of time, I only need to use it once per day. In fact, it works so well that I have had great trouble removing my dentures before bedtime! There have been two or three nights when I threw up my hands and slept with them in!!
It's actually a bit comical. The first day I used the glue, I was amazed at what a difference it made. As sleepiness began to overtake me, I went into my bathroom to remove my teeth and put them in their cup. My uppers -- which don't need any adhesive -- took a bit of maneuvering to dislodge, but I got them out. I next turned my attention to the lowers.
I pulled up and nothing happened. I pulled a little harder and got the same result. So, I pulled with all my might and still the teeth remained unmoved. I tried to seesaw them back and forth to break the seal; it was still a no-go. I finally grabbed a toothbrush (which I no longer need) to try to pry them off and they still refused to budge.
They finally loosened up enough to pull out about 12 hours later!!
I'm using a very scant amount of adhesive these days to try to mitigate this problem, but I'm meeting with mixed results.
I realize that this will be a slow gradual process. I'm told that new dentures take about 6 months before they will fit adequately. The reason for this is that it takes the gums about that long to heal. Once healed, I will return to the denturist for a final fitting and then I should be good to go...at least, in theory!
I'm very slowly getting the hang of trying to talk and eat with a refrigerator in my mouth! :>) Though many people told me that, within a short period of time, I would no longer be conscious of this apparatus gracing my palate, I'm extremely conscious of its presence. Not self-conscious, mind you, just conscious that it is there.
Since my lower gums are healing faster than my upper ones, the lower denture is not fitting as snug as before. Last week my wife suggested I might like to try using a denture adhesive to help keep the lower one better in place.
Initially, I resisted this idea. My wife (who also has dentures) always seems to be fumbling around looking for her tooth glue. It seems that she has to glue her teeth in several times per day and such a prospect didn't seem very appealing to me. Still, I finally decided to give it a shot.
It turns out that a little adhesive has been very helpful, but I've run into the opposite problem of my wife. While the sticky stuff only seems to work for her for brief periods of time, I only need to use it once per day. In fact, it works so well that I have had great trouble removing my dentures before bedtime! There have been two or three nights when I threw up my hands and slept with them in!!
It's actually a bit comical. The first day I used the glue, I was amazed at what a difference it made. As sleepiness began to overtake me, I went into my bathroom to remove my teeth and put them in their cup. My uppers -- which don't need any adhesive -- took a bit of maneuvering to dislodge, but I got them out. I next turned my attention to the lowers.
I pulled up and nothing happened. I pulled a little harder and got the same result. So, I pulled with all my might and still the teeth remained unmoved. I tried to seesaw them back and forth to break the seal; it was still a no-go. I finally grabbed a toothbrush (which I no longer need) to try to pry them off and they still refused to budge.
They finally loosened up enough to pull out about 12 hours later!!
I'm using a very scant amount of adhesive these days to try to mitigate this problem, but I'm meeting with mixed results.
HI RT
ReplyDeleteFascinating process - and you tell it so well. :-)
Love Gail
peace....