Hey Pamster!

I know you've been having on going dental problems and would like nothing better than to have it all be done with already! Perhaps you could consider doing the upper arch all at once??

Most of the time, it is best to have all of the teeth in the upper jaw removed at the same time and an immediate denture put in on the same day. Here are the reasons why....

1) When you have teeth in the same arch removed at different times, the bone from previous extractions has already depreciated, meaning has become flat. The new extraction sites will do the same over a period of time. But in the interim, the ridge is very uneven which can make it difficult to get a denture to fit properly and a new one would need to be made a some point in time.

2) With each extraction, the bone takes up to a year to fill in completely so the denture that is made prior to that healing time will need to be replaced at some point.

When an immediate denture is planned prior to the removal of all of the teeth in the same arch here is what happens...

The teeth are removed and the denture is put in right away. The denture acts as a bandade over the surgical sites and also helps the bone and gum tissue to form to the shape of the denture. This usually gives a better fit.

The immediate denture will need to be replaced with another one at some point (just like I mentioned earlier) as the bone heals and changes because it will no longer be able to be adjusted. Sometimes the immediate denture can be relined once or twice, but most often you would need a new one simply because the plastic becomes frail from the adjustments and relines. Because the shape of the bone and gum tissue had molded to the shape of the immediate denture, a new denture would then be shaped to that as well.

With regard to meds prior to the surgery..... you need to discuss that with the oral surgeon prior to the appointment as he will then advise you properly and adjust the type and amount of local anesthetic he will give you. If you wanted to have a little IV sedation, you would also have to discuss that with him prior to the appointment.

With regard to a soft food diet... I always recommend that people prepare a nutritious meal plan ahead of time to last at least 2 weeks and then prepare another batch of soft foods again for another 2 weeks. I am not a proponent of processed, boxed or canned foods as they offer so little nutritious value and are usually loaded with sodium.

Here is what I suggest...
If at all possible, make some homemade soups with an assortment of veggies, put them in small containers in the freezer so you can just heat them up.

Make smoothies in a blender with soy or almond milk, ice cream or something similar, a banana or blueberries or strawberries... vary it so they don't all taste the same. I always throw in a scoop of protein powder and a couple of ice cubes to make it thick. Eat it with a spoon.

If you had a juicer, you could juice some veggies which would make a drink packed with nutrients.

Organic eggs, yogurt (unsweetened), any dairy with a similar consistency.
Mashed sweet or white potatoes....

There are not many recipes having to do with soft foods... it's really more common sense to just stick with a soft consistency and see what you can mush together to your own taste. Nothing chewy, no seeds, nothing that requires a sucking motion like through a straw.

The best source of nutrition is from the soups because they have all the nutrients that you need.

I've got to run but I will check back later....

Bryanna