Eating, well with my own new fangled TMJ appliance, either in or out of my mouth, the orientation of my jaw with my teeth were not coordinated to work smoothly. I lost weight because chewing food was a great and concentrated effort with each and every bite, and it took time to eat. Then the facial and neck pain that floated through during the night and days was so unexpected that I stopped adjust my head and neck constantly.
Then I thought about dentures at the prompting of my mother who grinningly said, 'so now you have some.'
'Funny, smart-ass," I remarked to myself quietly, yet she was right. I was in the "primer" stage of dentures with my TMJ appliance. So I started asking my mother all the questions I never thought I would ask about dentures?
- Eat with them in? Yes.
- Does food get stuck under the plate on the roof of your mouth? Yes.
- Do you clean them at least once per day? Yes.
- Do you still brush your teeth like before? Yes.
- Do you notice them? Yes.
- Do your facial bones or jaw ever hurt? Yes.
- Do you have difficulty speaking? Yes, in the beginning and then you figure it out.
- Would you rather not have them? No, I can chew better with them in.
- How long have you had them? Decades.
- Better now versus then - the model you're wearing? Depends on the dentist, the price and what they are made of.
That about did for my first "primer" stage of questions, and she liked being asked and answering. Outside of personal appearance and vanity, for now I will just keep flossing and shop for a water pick. Loaded with empathy, foreigners either will think I am deaf, with my current rounded speech or prone to lisping through life. What an education in dentures.
