hi again : ) could that be a smile? your advise and past experience is awesome to hear! yes, the 2nd prostetic has no teeth. it begins right after they take out the 1 week one and will up to six weeks (asuuming its the inter one). the no teeth reason given (be sure i asked pronto!) was that it weighed the appliance down during the healing process, causing further issues of fit. in addition she added that there would be many adjustments during this period. my opinon is that the protocal with the teeth added on is probably a pain in their ass. after the up to 6 weeks i get the 3rd which will have the teeth and after the mouth is healed entirely the final one. final as in a new one every 6 or so years. do you find that the appliance has harmed any of your anchoring teeth? i read articles about this prob. at 3 a.m. but wasn't sure if it was due to all the pressure of supporting it, or if it really pertained to the teeth condition after chemo and radiation? my teeth presently are not in the best shape. like i said earlier, gum disease is what brought me there to begin with. i think i am pretty sure i should go get cleanings or whatever they do for that asap (though i so don't want to) as i would assume i want everything in best condition as possible? i did ask prost. doc this and she said it didn't matter. god knows how many cavities i have (as soon as the perio saw the lesion he was DONE with me!) he never even let me know what else showed up in all those x-rays! funny how i was dreading the whole gum scaling thing and nervous about losing those 2 original loose teeth (lol, could be so lucky!) mmmm, at least there is a whole lot he won't have to bother with! i had asked the prostetic doctor what do you like do with the dentist afterward and she said you take it our for work? that sounds, well, like nasty and somewhat crazy. have you had any fillings or anything done since? just wondering... sounds like your friend is doing well, is it done with one surgery, or several like mine had mentioned? i imagine, it must be like starting over but with a much better ending.. i am glad and relived to hear it is something that the future can hold. i cannot believe how quickly you had surgery! i would have gone crazy. at first it sounded like it would be rather quickly for me but i begged for july. literally begged (was crying at that point!) june we have the adoption picnic, by boy's birthdays, shore and a famiy cruise. i am going to add in whatever else i can for sure. i cannot imagine without proper consultation how confusing and overwhelming it must have been for you! even with all that, it is still so much. you must be very brave, not just for getting thru the process, but also for having such a great outlook now. so glad that you are out there : ) talk soon!