Denture Wearing: Three Weeks Later

It's been three weeks since all of my upper teeth were extracted and I had my immediate denture placed.

I have been removing the denture nightly since day two. This past week I have started to use a denture adhesive (glue). I needed to start using it. Since my gums were not really swollen anymore, even with swallowing to re-suction, my denture seemed to fall out of place while talking, coughing, yawning or basically whenever it wanted to. I knew adhesives were going to be needed, but I didn't know they'd be this frustrating to use.

I am using two different types right now. Not at the same time. Just samples. I am trying to use the same sample for a few days then switch to see which is best for me.

Getting used to the adhesives hasn't been easy. Putting it on was a big FAIL for the first couple of days. I ended up with the adhesive too far back on the roof of my mouth and hated the taste. Then, when I tried to remove it, it was seriously like glue, and stuck to me. I was gagging so much trying to remove it all. I still haven't found the best way to remove the adhesives, but I am getting by. I use a bit of toothpaste and my toothbrush and a lot of scrubbing.

I think I have finally gotten the hang of using it. Well, sort of. It's only been a week. I'm definitely not a master!

I remove my denture from it's nightly solution, rinse and dry it off. I brush my teeth, rinse well then dry off where I know the adhesive will do. I then put three small pea sized dots of adhesive on the front of pallette area. Not on my gums because they're still healing. I then press and hold the denture in place for like 30 seconds. After that, I close my mouth and swallow a few times to suction the denture in place well. The denture seems to stay in place after about two minutes. Then, I am set for the whole day.

I have noticed around dinner time, the adhesive isn't as strong as it was. So, I am careful when I eat if it's a really chewy dinner.

That's another thing that's happened this past week.. I have started eating REAL  food again. My husband grilled out some chicken breasts with corn on the cob. I knew I could bite the corn, but really wanted some chicken! He cut the corn off the cob for me (awww) and gave me a plate with chicken. Knife and fork in hand, I tried a small piece. He made it so tender! I ended up eating two or three breasts! Oh man, it was so good! I didn't realize just how much I missed chewing. I missed eating real foods!

I have noticed that, even though I can chew foods, I am having the worst luck with small amounts getting stuck between the roof of my mouth and my denture. With the adhesive still sticking well, I hate to remove my denture just to rinse my mouth. After spicy foods, this is a necessity though! So, I guess I will have to reapply adhesives multiple times a day so that I don't keep food stuck between.

My gums are still healing. Still a little swollen. So the denture is still painful, mostly in the evening or after trying to chew more than I should. I have new sore spots on the front of my gumline. I am hoping once I see the dentist again, and get more of that gooey filling stuff added in, they will fit a little more comfortably.

I will update and blog again after that appointment (which I think is tomorrow or the next day).

Thanks for reading!
:-)