Beware of Bone Spurs

I really mean to say "Be AWARE" of bone spurs!

These tiny splinters of bone will eventually work themselves out of your gum.

So far I've only had one and boy was it SHARP!

I got this one out by scraping it with my fingernail.

YIKES!!

My Oral Surgery explained - photos of progress

It took 4 long hours (originally expected to be only 3 hours) for the Oral Surgeon to completely do everything to start my Hybrid Denture process.

I chose to be in a hospital, 
mainly because of my health history of 3 heart attacks before age 50.

NOTE: Gum Disease and Heart Disease are directly related.

Gum disease with its nasty bacteria can get into your bloodstream and end up affecting your heart.

There are many internet articles. 

Here is Web.MD's:

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/periodontal-disease-heart-health#2

Here is a very interesting fact that I learned from the Oral Surgeon.

Did you know that your jaw bones have TWO layers?

In my own layman's way of explaining it, 

the top layer is aerated, meaning that it has many holes of air pockets.

This is the layer that holds your teeth in place.

When you have gum disease, this layer actually PROMOTES it because of the aeration.  OMG!

The very bottom layer is pure SOLID bone.  

So....without the top layer (the one that causes trouble), you will no longer have gum disease - EVER.

Not only were all of my teeth pulled, but each jaw top bone layer was shaved off.  

I actually barely have jaw bone to speak of now that this has been done.

But, the comforting news for me is NO MORE GUM DISEASE!!!

After teeth are removed and jaw bones shaved, then you get stitched up good.

Next is the costly titanium implants that have to be installed.

A drill is used and the implant is placed.  

Along with each comes abutments (screw tops).

So, when I went home with ice packs tied around my head to keep on my jaws, 

I was very "Frankenstein-ish" inside of my mouth.

NOTE: YOUR CHIN & BOTTOM LIP 
WILL REMAIN NUMB A LONG TIME!

(I'm writing this post 6 weeks after my surgery and my bottom lip has FINALLY just about come completely out of numbness.  It still tingles a little.  My chin is getting there rapidly as well, however I get twinges of PAIN that last 10-15 seconds in my chin.  I think that the bottom jaw nerve (mandible nerve) is coming out of numbness, which is a great sign!)

Let's focus on the numbness you will experience. 

Firstly, it almost hurts and it really SUCKS!

I had to touch with my hand to insure that the glass was on my lip so I wouldn't spill all over myself!

It's the same numb you feel after leaving the dentist.

TOTAL NUMB.

Can't feel if or when you have liquid or food on your chin, so you are constantly wiping it. 

BE MENTALLY PREPARED TO ENDURE NUMBNESS FOR WEEKS!

Now for photos to show you how much swelling is involved.  

First, this is the day of the surgery.

Me with my dentures in and gauze packed in to soak up the bleeding.

Now, here I am 2 days later.

I'm in pain and you can see it in my eyes.

4 days after surgery.

One bruise on the side of my jaw started dissipating and traveled down the center of my throat.

Just over 1 week after surgery.

Smiling is extremely difficult because the swelling you don't see 

that's inside of my mouth makes it hard to 'bend' the muscles.

This photo taken 9/5/2019 (3 weeks after surgery).

More to come.....

Before Surgery - Very Happy & Optimistic....and the beginning of my adventure

Hello and welcome to my new blog!

I decided that I wanted to document my journey as I go through months of healing to finally reach the end of getting the prize!

The "PRIZE" is beautiful Hybrid Dentures!

YAY!

So, let's begin......

I took a photo of myself to remember what my smile and the color of my teeth were.
This was only 3 days prior to my surgery.

Here it is:

Now, looking at this, you probably think, so, what is 'really' WRONG that made you decide to get Permanent Hybrid Dentures?

Well, I'll tell you....

I have had gum disease for many years.  

I used to DREAD going to the dentist for my 6-month cleaning because I KNEW that I would bleed like crazy and he would gently remind me that I wasn't flossing enough.  
I would always promise him that I would do better and THAT I did!

Well time went on and then it started getting REALLY REALLY serious!

I was sent to a Periodontist for professional gum cleanings.

I started going every 3 months.

I knew that I would suffer the AGONIZING pain with each visit,

but I kept going because I KNEW this was GOOD for my gum disease.

I got REALLY serious with doing everything to keep my gums & teeth as clean as possible.

Brushing 3-5 times per day using my Sonicare rechargeable toothbrush; using "Go-Between" type brushes that clean food between teeth; and most importantly, using my WaterPik Flosser....along with the every 3 month intervals of professional gum cleanings at the Periodontist's office, the gum disease just stayed put and wouldn't get better!

Let me explain Periodontal cleanings to you.

They literally scrape between the gum and teeth with special instruments.

There are times that you just want to SCREAM!

I would grip the chair arms and hold on for dear life during these cleanings.

Once in a while, I would have to stop the Technician because I just couldn't take the pain any longer.

I am one who can tolerate a LOT of pain, but when it comes to my mouth, not so much! 

During my treatments with the Periodontist, he took 3 biopsies and sent them to a special lab in California.  The results came back as PURE GENETICS!

He was looking at possible immune deficiency disease or hormonal problems. 

So....GENETICS cannot be solved with a pill!

X-Rays revealed that I had sudden bone loss - right below where two front bottom teeth became loose in a matter of 3 months, in between cleanings.
I had already had THREE teeth pulled and then had these two others about to come out!
This is all in a matter of about 4-5 years.

Now to shorten the story....I asked if I would continue to lose bone and teeth.  

I was told DEFINITELY YES.

I asked what could be done about it.

I was told that I would get partials - those metal clip on things with fake teeth.

OR

I could get all my teeth pulled and have dentures

OR

I could get dental implants for each lost individual tooth.

I went home and contemplated.

After internet research and the advice of a great friend, 
I learned about Permanent Hybrid Dentures!

So, next time I saw my Periodontist I posed the question..."if I get implants, that means that you would "Onesie-Twosie" replace my teeth?"

He said YES.

Then I said, "so that means I would have replacement teeth in the same nasty color of my current teeth?"

YES was the answer.

Then I mentioned the Hybrid Dentures.

He wholeheartedly agreed but referred me to the Oral Surgeon.

The Oral Surgeon went over everything and also took a CT Scan.

I was SHOCKED by what I saw!
My JAW BONE went straight and then ALL OF A SUDDEN dipped down!
My two loose teeth were holding on for dear life by the tips of their roots!
I couldn't believe my eyes!

Here is my CT SCAN:  

After getting advice from my dentist, Periodontist and now the Oral Surgeon, plus seeing the CT Scan for myself and the damage already done by bone loss, I knew that I should do something NOW while I was still 'young'.  I'm 58 years young.

So this is where the turning point happened in my life and 
my Hybrid Denture Journey began......

EATING - What they tell you and What is REALLY the TRUTH

Before going through the surgery to remove all of my teeth and start my hybrid denture journey, I was told that in just a matter of DAYS that I would be eating soft foods like pasta!  

Well people, guess what?

That's an outright LIE!

You've just had all of your teeth removed;

have had titanium implants drilled and embedded into your gums;

the temporary dentures you have been given have a pad between the dentures and the gums, thus preventing a good solid hold to eat ANYTHING!

First - here is what my healing bottom jaw looks like, 3-1/2 weeks after surgery. 
LOOK AT THOSE FRANKENSTEIN IMPLANTS!
OMG!

PREPARE!!!!

Prepare mentally & physically for a long road of weeks and weeks of pureed foods!

Had I KNOWN what I now know, this journey/experience would've been a WHOLE LOT BETTER!
This is the REASON I've created this blog - in hopes of helping YOU have a better experience!

After week #1 in fact,

I understood things a bit better!

For a couple of weeks I lived on Instant (boxed) Potatoes; Grits; and Popeye's (Louisiana Cajun Kitchen-known for their Southern Fried Chicken) Red Beans.  

The red beans HAD to be pureed. 

Now, speaking of pureeing.....you really HAVE to get one of THESE!
Because a regular blender sucks.

Get a HAND BLENDER!

It purees beautifully, but I find that you MUST put your food into a deep container to prevent splashing every where!

I was sooooooooo NAIVE and really believed that I would eat semi-normal foods in a matter of a couple of weeks!

NOT!

You have to imagine the WORST CASE SCENARIO!
This is what you will SURVIVE on!

Also, I thought that I HAD to keep my temporary dentures in place almost ALL of the time.  

Once I researched the internet and learned some things, I realized that I could actually take them OUT!  Despite the Prosthodontist's Technician telling me from the beginning to wear them AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.  

Sooooooo.....

I don't wear these temporary dentures UNLESS I have to leave my house! HA!

Trying to eat is FUTILE.

REASON:  The bottom denture is loose and there is nothing to make it better!
I can literally FLIP it off my jaw with my tongue!

Because I have implants that are sticking out of my gums and they aren't all sticking out at the SAME height, there isn't really anything for these dentures to grasp to!

So, the minute I drink, talk or attempt to chew, the bottom dentures flip-flop all over the place!

I tried taking a pill once and when the dentures started floating in my mouth and I almost CHOKED, I had to run to the sink and spit the pill and water into my hand!

OMG!
THAT was the LAST straw!

So, I've learned that on a temporary basis I will have to deal with this dilemma and the way to do that is to make myself HAPPY!

This means being able to EAT (or at least get tasty foods into my stomach). 

So let's move on to another post where I give you ideas of foods to ingest!

FOODS - Some ideas on what you can eat

Hello Everyone!

This post is all about EATING...well, not really 'eating' as we know it, but more like what you can make and take in while you are healing from the Oral Surgery that removed all of your teeth.

I was absolutely MISERABLE about the first 2 weeks after surgery!

I couldn't BELIEVE that I would be living on SMOOTHIES, PUDDING, JELLO!

OMG!

Once I researched the internet and felt more at ease, because the Prosthodontist and his Technician made me feel that I would be 'eating' pasta in just a few days after surgery........

I came up with SOLUTIONS for myself that I want to share with you.

FIRST - 

You will NOT be able to EAT anything!

Get that NOTION out of your head NOW!
If you're able to, then HALLELUJAH and GO FOR IT!
I wasn't able to because my bottom temporary dentures didn't fit snug and literally flip-flopped around in my mouth!  

SECOND - 

You CAN remove your dentures and LEAVE THEM OFF for AS LONG AS YOU WANT TO!

NEVER think you HAVE to leave them in your mouth!

In fact, less than 2 weeks after my surgery, I STOPPED wearing them at all unless I left my house and went shopping in public!

Leaving them OFF gives your gums a chance to HEAL!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So now on to the IMPORTANT advise I have for you.
WHAT DO I EAT?

Here are options that I have and am still trying out new things to date:
(be mindful that you will buy products/foods that you may never have bought in the past, but this is temporary, so just go with it....whatever makes you happy!)

THIS LIST WILL BE UPDATED AS LONG AS I FIND DELICIOUS OPTIONS FOR MYSELF:

1. Instant Potatoes - my fave are the Idahoan instant potatoes.  

    ~make them in large batches so you can simply heat up as you need.  

    ***I also bought Heinz Mushroom Gravy in the jar.  It's quite tasty especially when you don't have very many options to begin with!

    ***Potatoes with the Mushroom Gravy are a meal in themselves!

    ***or Make your instant potatoes like a 'baked potato' by adding cheese & sour cream.

2. Grits - well, I live in the South, so if you don't, this may not be a favorite for you.  I personally LOVE grits.  I add lots of butter/margarine and cheese.  

3. EGGS - scrambled eggs pureed can be combined with grits; potatoes; and even mac & cheese - which I find to be deliciously magic in the mac & cheese!

4. Mac & Cheese - my FAVE has been the Velveeta "Liquid Gold" Shells & Cheese.  I buy them in the single bowl packs (microwaveable) and sometimes mix eggs or ground beef in them!  They are a quick satisfying meal to quiet your growling stomach!

NOTE: place a plate underneath in the microwave to catch the water overflow and save yourself clean up time!

5. ANY Home-Cooked meals you LOVE (except maybe steak) that are "puree-able"

    ~EXAMPLE: I make Salisbury Steaks which are patties of ground beef and mushroom soup.  These are extremely tasty and easy to eat when pureed!

6.  VEGGIES - I mix baby peas and carrots or any variety of beans, like lima beans.  Puree and you have your wonderful veggie proteins for a great side item!

7. Ground Sirloin cooked with Taco Seasonings.  

    ~OK, this is a fave.  When I'm craving Mexican - this is easy to make and goes with just about any side dish from instant potatoes, grits, rice pilaf....YUM!

8. Baked Chicken (boneless, skinless and well seasoned).  

    ~Pureed home baked chicken is delicious.  However, buy a store Rotisserie chicken for even more chicken to go around!  Use Swanson Chicken Broth to make the chicken less dry. PUREED of course!

9. Spaghetti and Meatballs or Lasagna - these two dishes are so easy to puree and then devour!

10. Restaurant items:

     ~~~Popeye's Louisiana Cajun Kitchen (known for their famous spicy fried chicken) has the BEST RED BEANS!  I order them WITHOUT the rice!  Puree these beans for spicy goodness!  You can eat them with instant potatoes; your own rice; grits.

     ~~~Mexican Restaurant TAMALES - tamales are soft to begin with, so getting them prepared by a restaurant and then puree them makes for a filling delicious Mexican meal!

11. Any Home cooked meal especially involving chicken and pasta.  

     ~~~I make a delicious Chicken Manicotti & Chicken Spaghetti.  Both are filled with sauce and pasta so they make an easy pureed meal.  
Here are the recipes for you to try:

Creamy Chicken Manicotti

(8-10)             Manicotti shells

(2 cans)         Cream of Chicken-Mushroom Soup

(1 cup)           Sour Cream

(2 cups)         Seasoned, cooked & chopped Chicken

                        (2 cups = 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts)

(1/2)               Medium Onion, chopped

(8 oz)              Sliced Mushrooms (either canned or fresh)

(4 Tbsp)         Unsalted Butter or Margarine

(1/2 cup)       Chicken Broth (Swanson’s is the best)

(1 Cup)           shredded Colby-Jack or Cheddar Cheese

Cook manicotti shells al dente (7 minutes) in boiling water; drain and set aside to cool.

Combine soup and sour cream; mix well.  Set aside ½ of soup mixture.

Mix chicken with remaining ½ of soup mixture.

Stuff manicotti shells with chicken mixture (using a teaspoon works great).

Place stuffed manicotti in a casserole dish sprayed with (olive oil) cooking spray.

Sauté onions and mushrooms in butter until tender.  Mix with reserved soup mixture and chicken broth.  Spoon this mixture on top of manicotti.

Bake uncovered at 350° for 20-30 minutes.

Sprinkle with cheese and bake additional 5 minutes.

Photo of my Chicken Manicotti pureed:

                                                  Chicken Spaghetti

(3-4)                         Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts,

                                                               Seasoned as desired

(4 Tbsp.)                  Olive Oil

(12 oz. Pkg.)           Spaghetti

(3 Cans or 45 oz)   Chicken Broth (Swanson’s brand)

(1/2 Medium)        Onion, finely chopped

(1 Can)                    Cream of Mushroom Soup, undiluted

(1 Can)                    Cream of Celery Soup, undiluted

(1 Tbsp.)                 Worcestershire sauce

(1 Can)                    Rotel, undrained

(1 Tbsp.)                 Sugar

(2-3 Cups)              Colby-Jack Cheese, shredded/grated

\

Cook chicken and onions in olive oil until done, adding water or chicken broth to prevent burning.  Meanwhile, boil spaghetti in chicken broth until cooked al dente.  Cut up cooked chicken into bite sized pieces.

Mix remaining ingredients together (except cheese) with the cooked chicken pieces & onions.

Spray a large, deep casserole dish with cooking spray.

Pour mixture into casserole dish & top with cheese.

Cover & bake at 350 ˚ for 30 minutes.

Whatever you make - DON'T be AFRAID to TRY it pureed! 
It might look like baby food or baby poop, but if it tastes great, that's what matters most, along with nutrition!

Bon Appetite friends!

I'm sure I'll discover many other delectable dishes to share with you!   

Traditional Dentures versus Hybrid Permanent Dentures

Have you asked what the difference is in traditional dentures and hybrid permanent dentures?

Well this is the difference, simply put....

Traditional dentures are removable (by you)

and

hybrid permanent dentures are not removable,

except by a dental professional.

Hybrid dentures are held in place snug and tight by titanium implants. 

Here is an internet photo to show you what I mean:

Your jaw bones are drilled and the titanium implants are placed.

The hybrid dentures have matching 'holes' so that they can be screwed in place.

Each titanium implant has a screw top called an abutment.

The abutments are removed; hybrid denture placed; abutments screwed back in place.

Now you have a solid hold and can eat anything you want.

You can speak well.

It's the ultimate solution to gum disease, like I had.

I have FIVE implants on the bottom jaw.

YIKES!
Five implants on the top.

The end prize is beautiful looking white teeth and a beautiful smile.
But, more importantly to the recipient, like myself, is the removal of gum disease.

I won't EVER EVER have gum disease EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!  YAYAYAYAY!
And the very best part is that I can eat whatever I want......
STEAK!
an apple!
NUTS - like my favorite Pistachios
and on and on.......