Old Woman Having Full Mouth All-On-Four Procedure in Las Vegas

I am now 10 months from the start of this journey. The results are fantastic. I could have done this in less time, but illness, travel, and other concerns intruded. The length of time was my choice. I wanted to wear my final trials a long time before choosing to commit to my perms. This also gave me the opportunity to get to know my dentist, Dr Ghodsi, and his technician very well. I consider them friends (along with the entire staff). The technician is an artist. He listened to me carefully and gave me a product I am very proud of; he is too. It was no inconvenience to wait. The clinic is 20 minutes away and I had good looking, functional teeth from day one. We made little changes along the way, and I believe I have the ideal outcome.
I started with teeth that caused me no social embarrassment. Though not very pretty, they were mostly intact and functional. My issue was pain and frequent infections, accompanied by a foul taste. During the process, I adjusted to the changes in my mouth with varying success. I have never had pain in my bones, only gum pain which healed quickly. A greater adjustment was to avoid biting my cheeks. That only disappeared about 4 weeks ago. It took me a long time to learn chewing only food, not my own tissue. In my own defense, I have been chewing one way for 72 years. My speech is also improving. It is close to normal now.
My new teeth are heavier that the plastic ones. That weight was very noticeable in my hand, but not in my mouth. They are very smooth and a joy to feel with my tongue. It feels like the results of a good cleaning of my natural, only better. When I first got the perms 2 days ago, I noticed a different sound - sharper -.with tooth on tooth contact. I was producing the noise without meaning to bite. I think that was because of the increased weight if the teeth. I had to adjust the way I held my jaw to prevent the clicking. Now this was not a task I planned, merely something that occurred naturally as I adjusted to the feel. My first meal was accompanied by a lot of noise as I learned to lighten the strength of my bite. Once again. This occurred without effort. I still occasionally bring the teeth together when pronouncing the letter S. I am working actively on that as speech has been the greatest change to overcome.
Ads for implants often claim the teeth feel, look, and function like normal teeth. I found that to be a false claim. The teeth do not "FEEL" food, etc, as the natural teeth do. However, over the months since my surgery, there has been a gradual change as I now detect the touch of food and other objects on the teeth. I can only attribute it to increasing sensitivity of my gums as they have continued to heal. I am fortunate to never have experienced any symptoms of TMJ. I had no trouble before the surgery and have none now.
I would like to once more praise Dr Ghodsi's treatment of me. Wed when I was fitted with my final bridges, the dentist had to leave to catch a plane as the technician finished minor adjustments. That evening the doctor called me to make sure everything was ok. I'll go back in a week for a check.
As for eating, the only food I gave decided to forego is popcorn. The little slivers of hull are about the only food that gets under the teeth. It is difficult to remove them.
I'm posting some final photos.
Regards, Shelley

This has been quite a journey. For the most it has been without trauma. It has now been 5 months. This week I had my last trial teeth - my final set before the perms are molded - placed in my completely healed mouth. They were cast from the mold made from the wax trials. I will use them for 3-4 weeks. If they are right, the perms will be made. All of the bite adjustment and appearance issues were resolved during the wax fitting process.
The teeth are made of "plastic," according to my dentist. He cautioned me to avoid hard foods as these teeth are not terribly strong. So far they feel secure, so I must remember to be careful. The teeth are the most comfortable I have had in my mouth this entire time. They are very smooth on all surfaces. They also have more natural feeling chewing surfaces . The temps didn't. The tops of some of them were flat - without the ridges that our natural teeth have. Some of the shaping was buffed down as the bite of my temporary teeth was adjusted. The food used to sometimes slip off of teeth as I chewed. These feel more like my real teeth.
My one complaint is the color; they need to be whiter. The choice of colors is limited as they are intended for limited lifetime.
I find my speech has changed a bit. The teeth are very comfortable, but have obviously changed in some manner. The dentist showed me how to practice saying S and F while looking in a mirror.
I feel I can accurately describe the process as this point. The pain was much less than I expected. I never experienced the tightness others mention, nor did the bridges loosen as healing occurred. The icing must have decreased my swelling very well - thanks to all for your advice (well, almost nagging at times). LOL The pain I experienced came mostly from the gum on the roof of my mouth that required repair at about 2 weeks, and the occasional biting of the inside of my cheek. Would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY.
I have posted a new photo of my temporaries version 2. Soon I'll have my final teeth. Shelley

Yesterday I had my final wax fitting. The first week in April I return for a "plastic" set. The material has a three-initial name, but I don't remember it. This set will be one piece - meaning they are made of one block of material like the perms. The wax teeth allow movement of individual teeth. I like that as I don't want perfectly straight teeth. I have not yet chosen the color. The different materials have varying hues. The plastic teeth will be made of the lightest color available. From them I go to the permanent teeth. YEA! It appears I will have my final teeth at about four months; I am so glad I have enjoyed good healing and few problems. I am sorry to hear some of you are having TMJ problems. I have been spared that, but still have one more opportunity for a problem. I worry a bit that the heavier perm teeth will feel or function differently than my temps. I don't know what impact that will have on my comfort, but I read that one advantage of Dr Golpa teeth is the lightness of the materisl. I'll soon find out! Good healing to you all; enjoy your beautiful smiles.