# Are you prepping for toothless too?



## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

Just wondering if anyone takes into the consideration they could loose their teeth in SHTF and may not be able to eat everything they can now?


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

will2 said:


> just wondering if anyone takes into the consideration they could loose their teeth in shtf and may not be able to eat everything they can now?


Good question,
I am sure the are older family members that already have this problem.
A hand cranked meat grinder will make up the difference in a pinch for those items that need it.
Dicing up meat into pill size pieces will work too.


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## SecretPrepper (Mar 25, 2014)

This is a serious question to your question. Could you digest your food well enough to get the nutrition you need if you cut it into small pieces and swallowed them hole without chewing?


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Last year I had a lot of teeth pulled and ended up with a partial plate. I am missing 8 teeth on top. I take the partial out when I eat. 

My grandfather had no teeth (he refused to get dentures) for the last 25 years of his life and he did fine.. he ate steak and corn and just about anything

you might end up gumming the pieces but you will get them chewed


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

secretprepper said:


> this is a serious question to your question. Could you digest your food well enough to get the nutrition you need if you cut it into small pieces and swallowed them hole without chewing?


the answer is yes. 
People without teeth build up some pretty tough gums.
Those small pieces can be crushed to further break down the fibers.

Just read MM's post.
My grandfather was exactly the same way and lived half his life without them and never suffered from it.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

People all over the world survive without teeth. Anything can be tenderized in soup.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

While eating is possible without teeth as many can do so for very long periods of time. Prevention and preservation are a better strategies if possible. Note that around 1900, dental disease was the second leading cause of death in London England.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

i think a peson with dental knowledge might be a real plus -just saying your mouth has alot to do wit you bodies over all health.


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## Snocam (May 29, 2015)

I think having some preps to maintain good dental hygiene would be as important as prepping for no teeth. I personally can't go for a weekend camping trip without brushing twice a day. Obviously some methods for teeth cleaning would have to change in a shtf scenario but it would still be a priority for us.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Will2 said:


> Just wondering if anyone takes into the consideration they could loose their teeth in SHTF and may not be able to eat everything they can now?


That's why I have my spare set in my INCH pack.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Oh man... I though we were gonna be talking about dragons here.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Ancient Egyptians used to chew sticks to clean teeth, as did other ancient civilizations. The mummies shoe it works pretty well.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Does anyone in their right mind actually think; "Hey in 30 years or so I might lose my teeth, so how can I best prepare?" 

Flour+Water=Groul. Problem solved.

(I hope I don't get sued)


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

Mortar and pedestal solves all teeth lacking issues. Puréed squash and deer anyone?


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

I only have 5 teeth left on the bottom, none on top. I'm already ahead of the game.:joyous:
Although the VA won't admit it, drinking Agent Orange contaminated water caused tooth rot in many, many veterans. I had my dentist tell me back in the 70's, before I was even 30 years old, that he had never seen "such aggressive decay" before. :armata_PDT_04:

And even though I have dentures, I can attest to the fact mentioned above ^ that you can get along fine with no teeth. Some things are out of bounds - like apples.:armata_PDT_25:


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

TacticalCanuck said:


> Mortar and pedestal solves all teeth lacking issues. Puréed squash and deer anyone?


If I wanted to take out a large pedestal like one that held a statue of an evil socialist, I would use an M252 Mortar round if possible.
If I wanted to grind my food into mush, a mortar and pestle would be the tools of choice.

Thus ends the snarky lesson for the day.

(Sorry TC, couldn't resist...:icon_smile


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

LOL I could blame auto correct but I'm still on my first coffee so I'll go with that. Point taken though I hope. Just grind the food to feed grandma and or yourself if gingivitis snaggle tooths ya


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

rice paddy daddy said:


> I only have 5 teeth left on the bottom, none on top. I'm already ahead of the game.:joyous:
> Although the VA won't admit it, drinking Agent Orange contaminated water caused tooth rot in many, many veterans. I had my dentist tell me back in the 70's, before I was even 30 years old, that he had never seen "such aggressive decay" before. :armata_PDT_04:
> 
> And even though I have dentures, I can attest to the fact mentioned above ^ that you can get along fine with no teeth. Some things are out of bounds - like apples.:armata_PDT_25:


I was at camp lejeune when they had bad water issues...

apples are ok if they are cut up into slices

I am on my way to dentures - i just made a appoint to have one more pulled. It sucks, I thought I had taken care of my teeth but I have to wonder if it is a family thing... My mother, grandmother, and grandfather all lost their teeth...

it could have been an environmental issue with the water growing up

who knows -

anyway... as long as you can get food down you will be ok....


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## PCH5150 (Jun 15, 2015)

Good post, having several spare toothbrushes is a good idea. The brush is doing 90% of the cleaning, not the toothpaste. So even when you run out of that you can still brush with water (or baking soda/water mixture). This won't prevent all problems but a lot better than nothing.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Right. Who needs teeth?


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Maine-Marine said:


> I was at camp lejeune when they had bad water issues...
> 
> apples are ok if they are cut up into slices
> 
> ...


Vietnam Veterans of America broke the story on Camp Lejeune's water contamination about 10 years ago. VVA kept after Congress and fought the VA to get this recognized.
It now is. And some conditions are compensable. Just like some AO conditions are.
To find out more go to Camp Lejeune: Past Water Contamination - Public Health


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

Just a few questions arising from this thread.

For those with dentures was your tooth loss gradual (aside from MM), was there a learning curve? 
What foods other than apple were difficult to eat? Did you find yourself cutting up food, example more time cutting foods to make up for inability to use incisors? 
Did you suffer indigestion as a result, any change in physiological response?

I noticed a lot of poeple were mentioning tooth decay, but what about sudden impact, say in a building collapse during a disaster or other accident. Without toothpaste available, or dentists, have you been stocking extra toothpaste or other cleaning methods?

I was actually suprised to learn that people have no issue eating hard foods without teeth, as an anthropology student, I've studied about important fossils in Georgia (eurasia) about how a skull that is seen as being an old toothless person must have been helped to stay alive, as without teeth they would not be able to support themselves. 

What were your initial experiences like? Did you have a hard time at first?


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Teeth are important but not a requirement to get nourishment from cooked foods. Some fresh foods would be a challenge but we have and use knives.

The real threat from dental problems is the infections they can cause and the resulting damage to the rest of the body. Those require specialized antibiotic treatment to cure. I find it disconcerting that a single infected tooth can actually, over time, be deadly.


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## Farmboyc (May 9, 2015)

My grandfather could gum a steak into submission before he passed away. 
I also believe infection is the larger concern. Having said that I always have extra toothbrushes and toothpaste on hand.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

So... no dragons?


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

My grandparents were toothless and ate a lot of Cream o Wheat. My War Hero Uncle by marriage was a full blooded native American ***** peeples. Not sure which tribe. He had SS false teeth which could bite through anything. When it come time to chew a tough steak..Cabrito etc. he would take them out and lay them aside. Not sure what to think about that.


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## Lady_Husker (Aug 8, 2015)

I have a crazy long history of bad teeth on both sides of my family. Just a couple days ago, I had a tooth practically disintegrate out of my mouth. My intention is to get the money saved up to, at some point, have all my teeth pulled and replace them with implants. It is going to have to happen somewhere along the way so might as well beat it to the punch and start getting use to eating with implants before SHTF. Some would call me nuts for this, but I think it is better to get it over with than go through some of the pain my family members have in the futile attempt to keep their teeth as long as possible. What good is it going to do me to be in agonizing pain and unable to eat in the middle of the world ending?


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Forget the implants. That gives a handy enrance for germs to get into your boady. That stuff is a scam.


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## Lady_Husker (Aug 8, 2015)

bigwheel said:


> Forget the implants. That gives a handy enrance for germs to get into your boady. That stuff is a scam.


Commercial implants can be a scam, but my dentist is a prepper too and we have discussed alternative types of implant materials/placement/implementation. Also, I won't have the money for this for a long time so technology on the subject still has time to improve. Not saying it is an ideal situation, but given my family history, the only other option I have when SHTF is to learn how to gum-it


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Once they heal, it won't matter where you got them.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

My brother got implants to replace his bottom teeth and uses false teeth on top. It was a three year process for the implants. He had to replace a broken one about a year ago. No problem - just unscrew it and screw the new one in... sort of.
I was an ordeal to get them installed.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Lots of toothpaste and Plax in my preps.


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## Prepp(g)er (Feb 18, 2014)

PCH5150 said:


> Good post, having several spare toothbrushes is a good idea. The brush is doing 90% of the cleaning, not the toothpaste. So even when you run out of that you can still brush with water (or baking soda/water mixture). This won't prevent all problems but a lot better than nothing.


charcoal works just fine


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