Needing filling recipes for after dental work

[SimplyRochelle]

Hey ladies,

I am having to have the remaining 9 upper teeth I have pulled on the 21st of this month. I have been told it will be like a forced diet since I will be too sore to wear my new teeth for at least a week, most likely months. Basically I am seeking out mushy soups, casseroles, etc... that will require none or minimal chewing. I don't want to to have live on mash potatoes and other things I can throw in the food processor. I am trying to get recipes together now to make over this next weekend so that I have stuff that is easily defrosted during those following drug filled days. My DH will be around to help me out after the surgery but he's not very adept in the kitchen hah.

Any and all suggestions are welcome because I'm really at a loss as far as how I will sustain myself for possibly weeks without chewing.

[organicmidwestmama]

can none of your real teeth be saved?!?

sorry to hear about this, you look really young to have NO teeth left. have you checked out the curing tooth decay with nutrition threads in the dental section here on mdc?

smoothies; whey protien powder, a couple tablespoons of nut butter (i like almond r cashew), frozen berries, whole milk plain yogurt, fresh cream or whole coconut milk, etc. these are really filling and nutrient dense, though after dental surgery you will need to avoid straws so just sip the smothies.

split pea and ham soup could be made now and frozen for later.

cottage pie with ground lamb or beef and mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower on top.

[cristeen]

I'd start with bone broth. Egg drop soup, miso soup, any number of pureed soups, but start with a base of homemade bone broth for all the healthy nutrients and bio-available protein you don't get from the store-bought stuff. This is also most likely going to be the only way you get any veggies in.

Yogurt, maybe even frozen into popsicles. Puree your favorite fruits and stir it into whole fat plain yogurt before freezing. A little topical pain killer. Don't put yogurt through the blender though unless you intend to drink it.

Refried beans are also a really good mushy food with protein. Load them up with lots of healthy oils - you'll need the fats. A good amount of garlic powder (stir it into warm water and let it sit 5 minutes before adding to the beans) will help keep it from being bland. In general, spices are going to be your friend.

Another is scrambled eggs. If you look up Jacques Pepin's method for making scrambled eggs, they are very soft and require virtually no chewing, unlike the eggs made by most Americans.

Another soft food would be custard - the more milk you use, the softer it's going to be. Or you can make something like a pumpkin custard, which is even softer because of the pumpkin. Of course, there's always crustless cheesecake. To add a little flavor, I spread mine with homemade lemon curd. And while some people may balk at the sugar - I use very little and then I can eat it for breakfast - it's full of protein and fat. Of course, I sometimes just eat the lemon curd straight out of the fridge - it's made with lemon juice and eggs.

Something else that could be a good source of fat/protein would be homemade hollandaise sauce, which is made with egg and butter. I'm not sure what you would put it on (stir it into mashed potatoes maybe?) - but you can flavor it any number of ways (I made a chipotle one the other day with ground chipotle pepper)... and I've been known to just eat it with a spoon.

And even mashed potatoes can be made interesting a dozen different ways... Epicurious has a great recipe for mashed sweet/white potatoes with garlic and parmesan, it's become a holiday tradition for us. Roasted garlic, blue cheese, goat cheese (any non-stringy cheese), herbs, flavored oils, can all be used to flavor it.

You can even try small curd cottage cheese with applesauce - this was a favorite when I was a kid.

That's all I'm thinking of at the moment... HTH

[lil_earthmomma]

I just had surgery a couple months ago that left me unable to chew for a week.

I found that I LOVED soup with eggs poached in it. So yummy and filling.

I made a spicy tomato basil soup, a ginger chicken asian soup, leek and potato, and curried butternut squash and I'm sure some others... (I heart soup! )

I also did green smoothies with coconut milk and frozen berries and a scoop of whey protein.

For treats I made custards and chocolate pots de creme and frozen yogurt.

[SimplyRochelle]

Thanks ladies for all the tips! I don't know how I forgot about all the smoothie possibilities.

And yeah, I'm only 22, but I just got handed a crappy genetic card when it comes to my teeth. My mom had full dentures by 28 and my grandmother got her first big partial when she was 19. My bottom teeth are fine, only 2 cavities, which puzzles the dentist since my top teeth are soooo decayed they are almost falling out of my mouth. I had about 6 root canals before going to a different dentist and he told me he thought I would be better off with a full upper denture. My gum health on top has really, really suffered from all the decay (which was a possible reason for my miscarriage in 2008) and I am really just looking forward to that improving, not to mention no more excrutiating tooth aches.

Thanks again!

[425lisamarie]

well my mom had upper dentures about a year ago and her self esteem and health have improved so much I just love it. I took care of her a few days and made her a few things that worked.

Oh, small side note here, not sure if it is of any use to you.....but after she could NOT open her mouth enough to swallow pills and she gagged because of the new denture and at first swollen and couldn't really have stuff on her tongue, so i had to call and get her a liquid pain relief. I mean you obviously have to take something the first little while.....s you'll be ok

So i made her smoothies for the fridge by just pureeing fruit and then shaking it up with yogurt (they get icky if you blend with ice and let them sit)

Creamy chicken soup, I made rich homemade broth and started with a roux, like one tblsp flour, one butter, for every 2 cups broth. AFter a short time she could slurp the noodles and very soft carrot bits.

I also bought a mini ice cube tray and just froze plain juice. she would sometimes get nauscious and just want a little cold in her mouth and they are perfect size.

homemade applesauce is good

the first things she ate were scrambled eggs, chunky applesauce, she LOVED my really tender banana bread just little bites at a time, and tender meatballs, I made homemade ravioli once, and pasta e fiogoli was a favorite

Wishing you well, I'll bet you will feel better after all is said and done