Thanks, Lee! I've been very happy with my almost immediate recovery, as I was expecting something much worse. Since I have no pain, I tend to forget that I just got the implant, and so I have to remind myself to be careful. I had a sandwich for lunch, and I hope bread crumbs didn't get stuck back there. I rinsed out my mouth very well. I make bean burritos frequently and always have the ingredients to make my bean dip recipe. I used up the last of the tahini making the hummus (which I expect to go fast), and so I'll have to remember to pick some up at the next Arab or Lebanese market I go to. We need more lavash, but I can get that anywhere. The tahini is much cheaper at the Lebanese market. Annie, Kevin and I both have mouth guards to wear at night, and I never ground my teeth until fairly recently. I do notice myself doing it when I'm working intensely on a furniture model. I'll make a note not to make popcorn, but that gets stuck in my teeth even when they are normal! I might make some Avgolemono soup with Greek meatballs - I have frozen ground turkey I could defrost, but I need to use up the poached chicken meat first, I think. Of course I could freeze that and defrost the other. Lars

I have a new 1 year old GSP. He can destroy a tennis ball (reinforced Tuff Ball for dogs) in 9 seconds - yes, I timed him. My latest experiences into the world of chew toys: I don't give things like bully sticks, pig ears, Greenies, rawhides etc. the foster dogs tend to like them too much and either gulp or guard - both are things I don't encourage. Nylabones - None of my dogs have ever liked the classic hard nylabones. They are extremly hard plastic and he won't even use them as a throw toy. Softer versions such as gumabones last less than 10 minutes. Nylabone dental chews last 20 minutes. Kong - Classic Kongs are good. I have both red and black (exteme) versions in Xl and King sizes and have not had a dog destroy them. The dental stick and dental jack are worthless - both broke into large pieces within minutes and they are only available in red. Kong treat balls (stuff-a-ball) were also quickly destroyed. The biscuit ball lasts longer, but still wasn't suitable. Air Kongs are glorified tennis balls and met the same fate as their cheaper brethren. Kong balls are nice and the dogs seem to especially enjoy the bounzer ball. Kongs supposedly have a replacement guarantee, but I wasn't particularly impressed with Kong's customer service after contacting them about the dental stix. Puptreads are made from recycled tires and have the advantage of being available at Walmart, etc. Vigorous chewing did rough them up, but only small rice-sized pieces are missing. Chuck-It Ultra balls last much longer than any other ball except Kong balls. The advantage of the Ultra balls is that they bounce better and are great for indoors as they are light. I've heard that raquetballs are similiar, but don't have personal experience. Rope toys are no longer an option as he untied the knots and shredded the strands within minutes. I just bought goughnuts to try and after a week, they are still whole. They're a little heavy for indoor play, but the dogs enjoy carrying them and chewing. So far I'm impressed. They do come with a replacement guarantee and, should the need arise, I hope I'll have a better experience with them than i did with Kong. Here is a link that might be useful: goughnuts

Thanks everyone for your responses!! Actually I'm pretty familiar with pancreatitis - our IBD cat was diagnosed with it. The web pages you mention are really good too. What I didn't really follow was the connection between dental work and pancreatitis. On one of the webs I had read something about trauma being a cause - could that be it? Or something about the drugs they give during the dental work? He did have three extractions in addition to the teeth cleaning. Just to keep this straight - Bo is the cat currently having problems. Cougar is the IBD cat previously diagnosed with pancreatitis. With Cougar we did all the blood work and an ultrasound. His condition is maintained with pred and pepcid ac. He flares up every winter so we have to be more careful then. Most of the time Cougar insists on eating the same prescription diet food the other two cats eat but seems to know instinctively when to eat his Low Residue food. One thing we have learned with Cougar, is you give him what he will eat, just roll with it or he will starve himself (or vomit and loose weight that way). The vet has been OK with that. For a while he ate ID food, but he turned his nose up at that. We will always bring him to the vet early if he flares up and we can't seem to control it. Our vet actually said she thought Cougar was going to die when he first got sick, but that was a few years ago and although he needs care he is doing really well. Cougar is a small tabby, but we have always suspected that he has some siamese in him. Some place I had read that digestive track issues are more common with siamese. Bo is showing some of the same eating signs. Over the last few weeks he has got more and more picky about his food, more distracted when eating. Thursday was the 'last straw'. It took me 40 minutes to get him to eat that morning and he didn't even eat 1/3 a cup of food. He was an 18+ lb cat!! In the evening he would not eat. I pulled out Cougar's Low Residue and he finally ate some last night. (I had actually tried a couple weeks ago to give him some - but it was mixed in with his normal food and he didn't go for it.) This morning I was so happy when he ate 1/4 a cup of the Low Residue and then asked for more. But then he wouldn't eat again this evening - this the cat that normally is always hungry! Just before bed I did get him to eat some. The vet says he needs to eat just over 3/4 cup to maintain his weight. He had lost about a pound since he was there in January - and I think most of it was this week. So, we are watching him closely. I did give him pepcid ac this evening so perhaps that is why he finally ate. It's hard to know for sure as he did seem like he was having problems with the large kibble - lots of it falling back into the bowl half chewed, acting like it was getting stuck in his mouth. Either way, the vet thinks it's good food for him because it is bland for his digestive track, plus small size. The Low Residue is dry food that he ate, but did also try giving him some of the canned and he ignored it completely. Regarding blood work, he had everything (blood, urine) before his dental work. There was some blood showing in his urine at the time - we tested again and the vet determined it was OK. We did take blood today for a CBC so she can compare the white blood count. Will know results on Monday. Will go from there to see if he needs more blood work, or an ultrasound if he isn't eating. I will probably continue to give him the pepcid this weekend. The vet knows we have tried it but not continued it before. Nothing found with the physical exam - mouth healed OK, no tenderness in the abdomin. He had a premolar pulled on both sides so perhaps thought that could give him issues with the large food. So, any thought about why the rare link between the dental work and possible pancreatitis? Thanks for your input. You all are a great group! (And did I mention Wilson - the cat we think has allergies and sores at the corner of his mouth that haven't gone away since last spring. Currently on pred and antihistmine. Will continue with that for another couple of weeks and then more testing for him if he still doesn't improve. We had tried both pred and the antihistamine before, but never together. Talked about allergy testing today with the vet - at least it isn't the same pin prick method I had done on me!! His sores do not look like the granuloma I've seen pictures of. )

Thanks for the input all. Believe me, I have not come to these conclusions all by myself. This has been an ongoing situation. I have consulted with both my dentist and the oral surgeon/implant, periodontist. At this time last year, they were considering extracting 4 teeth and doing implants. (easy for them to suggest!!!) I decided to put it on hold (maybe hoping I would just let one fall out at a time - lol) Now, this month, it is found that a 5th tooth is 'in line' and possibly a 6th! That's one heck of a lot of extractions at one time, to say nothing of the bone grafts (and healing). I might be flippant and think of it as my own personal weight-loss plan, but when I add up the $$$$ (especially at my 'Sr. Saver' age, I have to wonder if it's all worth it, when a partial for both top and bottom would amount to that of ONE implant. DH says I'm worth it; I tend to be more frugal and would not look forward to the discomfort and constant re-appointments waiting to finally be done. Not to mention that with all that being done....it just may not 'take'. During all of this, my only 'comfort' would be smoking and drinking (Pepsi) and then to completely change not only my mouth, but my lifestyle!!!! Partials - or complete dentures - might be the eventual answer.