No chewing

[Kevin86]

Hey everybody

My Grandpa is 93 and living with my parents. He is having trouble with his last few teeth and the dentist says they will pull the last few and go with false teeth. But it’s about 2 months before his dentist appointment then healing, etc.

So right now he has a lot of trouble chewing. My go to to help out is soup puréed or what ever is tender that he can squish more than chew.
He’s old fashioned of course and likes his hot dinners but what do you do.

Other than soup, stew, chilli, shepherds pie my mom is trying to give him some variety but having trouble with more ideas.
He’s a southern Ontario born and lived farmer. He’s not well travelled as far as food goes, he had his first taco less than a year ago.

If you guys can send some ideas we’d appreciate the help. Thanks

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Think pasta, like a good lasagna, or sloppy joes. Short ribs braised low and sow, or pressure cooked is easy to chew, and very tender. Pot pies, chicken, or turkey tetrazzini, tortiire, many bean dishes, especially made with maple syrup, and fatty pork are easy to eat. And then there is homemade creamed corn, or even corn pudding. instead of chicken noodle soup, make a rich chicken and dumpling soup, with biscuit dough dumplings, steamed in the chicken broth.
For deserts, think custard, like flan, or puddings, gelatin, Pana Cotta. Make carrot cakes, or banana bread, without nuts, cheesecake, tiramisu, bananas foster, pears poached in chocolate sauce, etc.

That's a start.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[taxlady]

I like the Chief's suggestions. All I can think to add is lots of dishes that use ground meat, whichever kind, would make eating meat easier. Egg dishes would probably be good too.

 

[blissful]

A soup with squash and carrots, finely chopped onion, ramen noodle, garlic, ginger, miso.
Oatmeal and if that is too difficult, ferment the oatmeal which makes it more tender, using a little live AC vinegar (few teaspoons) to a few cups with a few cups of water. If it gets too sour, rinse it. The tenderness makes it really nice and it can be hot, with fruit puree, honey, ground flax and chia seeds, cinnamon.
A smoothie, bulked up with a little oatmeal, keep the peels on the apples so he continues to get fiber.
A chili with beans (well cooked), squash in cubes is nice in that too.

Mashed potatoes with a mushroom gravy.


Come to think of it, our thanksgiving layered dinner, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, a stuffing, with gravy, cranberry jelly, a nice hot meal.

A crustless pumpkin pie would be nice for dessert or breakfast.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Mix up a batch of eggnog or purchase some meal replacement shakes in flavors that he might find tempting.

A dish of ice cream with every meal wouldn't hurt!

Good luck!

 

[karadekoolaid]

I can very much relate to the situation because, 3 weeks ago, my dentures just snapped in half and I had to go a week without them.
ANYTHING even vaguely chewable was out, even things like minced beef, or pasta cooked "al dente".
It was soup, yoghurt, mashed potato/veg (and I mean, totally and completely mashed), lentil stews, scrambled eggs, mashed fish - and ice cream.
It was utterly frustrating, so I can imagine what your grandad was going through.

 

[GinnyPNW]

My DH has had a couple of surgeries on his tongue and another one will be on Monday...so, I've got a bit of experience making easy to eat things. I could go on and on about soups, but since you said "other than"...I'll mention only Borscht (Favorite recipe: https://www.anediblemosaic.com/wprm_print/recipe/27525 - run it thru a power blender for him before serving...or otherwise liquify it.

Puree veggies, particularly root veggies (beets, carrots, potatoes or any of his favorites).

Smoothies!! The Blendtec Chocolate Cherry Smoothie is a particular favorite for DH. He says it is a good meal replacement and holds him over thru the night! It is the first recipe on this link: https://blenderauthority.com/blendtec-recipes/

Last, I'll mention fish! If he is a fish fan, poaching a filet or steak of his favorite (cod, flounder, etc.) should be a big hit. I like to cook it in a pan with a half cup or so of cream or half & half, top the fish with a pat of butter, salt, pepper, and maybe some finely chopped fresh herbs (savory, basil, thyme, marjoram...whatever he might like)...then bake it at 400F, for 15 to 20 minutes, depending upon thickness. Or Sole, without the spring onions, something like this recipe: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/sunnys-easy-baked-lemon-sole-and-spring-onions-8397798 -- with some mashed potatoes and maybe pureed carrots...that would be a meal anyone would enjoy! Especially my DH!

Hope this helps & thanks for helping Grandpa! I'm sure he will appreciate it!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I think we forgot a couple of obvious, quick meals;

• PBJ,
  • cheese and bologna on white bread,
• sardines,
• liverwurst,
• potted meat,
• minced ham salad,
• egg salad,
• sloppy joes,
• pulled pork,
• cocktail wienies in BBQ sauce,
• kipper snacks,
• smoked fish,
• baked fish,
• mashed rutabagas,
• winter squashes,
• meatloaf (can be made soft by adding more breadcrumbs, rolled oats, or crushed crackers)
• Salisbury steak
• seasoned poached eggs
• turkey dressing
• bread pudding
• trifles
• strawberry shortcake
• parfait
• custards
• lemon curd
• Chief's pancakes (very tender and moist)
• open faced pork, or chicken sandwiches with gravy and mashed potatoes
• gnocchi
• wonton soup
• corned beef hash
• lightly floured, pan fried trout
• baked sweet potatoes, with honey-butter
• twice baked potatoes
• scalloped potatoes
• cooked spinach, beet greens, or collard greens
• chili with beans and onions
• brown betty
• apple, or peach cobbler
• blueberry muffins/coffee cake
• pumpkin puree
• gazpacho
• scrambled eggs with Mexican Chorizo
• stuffed grape leaves
• stuffed cabbage leaves
• blueberry burrito (crepes wrapped burrito style around bleberry filling)
• French omelet

That should give you some ideas.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I dunno. Everyone I know with false teeth takes them out to eat, so he should be able to gum most foods.

 

[larry_stewart]

All above suggestons are good ideas.
His difficulty chewing likely is a combination of limited amount of teeth ( therefore limited function). In addition to the remaining teeth not being in great shape, possibly due to decay, bone loss, infection.... which could be anywhere from uncomfortable to painful to chew on. Hard chewy foods will likely cause more pain ( especially since 2 months out from extractions)

As far was the false teeth go, If they will be immediately placed ( after the extractions), it will still be difficult to chew ,since the new dentures will be sitting on, and supported by a surgical site, and full function wont be achieved until complete healing ( and adjustments ) have taken place ( everyone differs in how much time that will/ could take).

In addition, full function of a denture, in most cases , is sill only about %15 of what natural teeth or implants can provide. So, in many cases, the diets has to be altered after getting dentures due to the reduced function. There are obviously exceptions, and some people do better than others.

Also, older people sometimes have difficulty adjusting to having dentures in their mouths and functioning with them, and will only where cosmetically when they go out. ( again, there are exceptions).

People often think that they now have a mouth full of new teeth and will be chomping on steak and other things. In many cases, that is not the situation, although, there are exceptions.

People who usually have an easier time adjusting to a new , full denture, are those who have had a partial denture in the past, and now moving on to a full denture.

Implant supported dentures, especially for the lower arch, add a significant amount of improvement to function ( usually 2 to 4 implants). But they are not for everyone ( Bone amount, quality, overall health, cost....).

All the above are general facts. There are always exceptions ( people who do better, worse ....). he most important thing is having realistic exceptions, knowing the limits, and having patience and a positive attitude.

Just because someone knows someone who had a great ( or terrible ) experience adjusting to aa new denture, doesn't mean everyone will have the same experience ( Just by considering anatomical differences alone).

***Covering the palate also could affect tasting ability***