In the shadow of the scandal of the secret waiting list at the Albuquerque VA hospital, this lesser-known story didn’t make the national news, but it’s an important story of how our system may be failing vets with dentures.
The Perils of Fishing
In early June, a Vietnam veteran went on a fishing trip. While out in the fresh air full of wildflower pollen, his nose was irritated and he sneezed, causing his lower denture to fly into the lake. He was unable to dive in to get it, so he called the VA for replacement dentures so he could resume eating solid foods.
The VA said they couldn’t help him right away, but that they’d call him back. They didn’t call him back, though, for more than a week. He called them again to press for an appointment, and he was given one–in September.
The man began to feel desperate at this point because he was feeling poor and losing weight on his liquid diet so he called a local news station for help. He told a reporter: “I’m going to die from malnutrition! I can’t wait that long. Soup is not nourishing.”
When the news station called for comment, the VA found a way to fit him in, and now he says he should receive replacement dentures soon.
Better-Fitting Dentures Give You More Security
Although this man has gotten his replacement dentures, it’s important to remember that this problem started because he had poorly fitting dentures to begin with. If the VA had supplied him with better-fitting dentures to begin with, he likely would never have lost them to a sneeze.
FOY® Dentures are designed to give you a better fit, especially on the lower denture, which makes it less likely that you will lose your dentures when sneezing, laughing, or during other activities.
To learn more about how The Denture Fountain of Youth® could benefit you, please call (803) 781-9090 today for an appointment with a Columbia, SC denture dentist at Smile Columbia Dentistry today.
