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        Felicita R.’s Story
          Felicita R.’s Story
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                  Meet Felicita R.
                With every bite she eats, Felicita remembers how smoking hurt her health. She developed gum disease—a danger for all smokers—and lost all her teeth by age 50. In one surgery, 23 teeth were removed. “It was very, very hard,” says Felicita, who lives in Florida. It took a month for her mouth to heal. She doesn’t like the way her dentures fit, so she uses only the top set. This means she can only eat soft foods now.
                With every bite she eats, Felicita remembers how smoking hurt her health. She developed gum disease—a danger for all people who smoke—and lost all her teeth by age 50. In one surgery, 23 teeth were removed. “It was very, very hard,” says Felicita, who lives in Florida. It took a month for her mouth to heal. She doesn’t like the way her dentures fit, so she uses only the top set. This means she can only eat soft foods now.
                Felicita grew up in New York and started smoking at age 12. She smoked for 33 years but didn’t realize that cigarettes added to her dental problems. In her 30s and 40s, she already had bleeding gums and loose teeth. By the time Felicita quit smoking, it was too late to save her teeth.
                Felicita grew up in New York and started smoking at age 12. She smoked for 33 years without knowing that cigarettes added to her dental problems. In her 30s and 40s, she already had bleeding gums and loose teeth. By the time Felicita quit smoking, it was too late to save her teeth.
                Today, Felicita loves being a nonsmoker. She can now keep up with her four children on walks: “I feel like I came back to life!” But Felicita doesn’t smile much anymore. She’s embarrassed to have false teeth. “I feel like I destroyed my health and my appearance with cigarettes.”
                Today, Felicita loves being smokefree. She can now keep up with her children on walks and takes dance classes. She’s even started to smile more. She tries to help her friends and family members who still smoke to quit. “I want them to learn from my experience and my mistakes,” Felicita says. “Making people understand the pain they could go through because of smoking, that’s going to be my mission for life.”
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                    Felicita R.’s Videos
                      Felicita R.’s Pulling Teeth Tip
                          CDC: Tips From Former Smokers - Felicita R.: Pulling Teeth Tip - URL
                          Audio Description Low Resolution Video
                      Felicita R. smoked for more than 30 years. She was diagnosed with severe gum disease and had to have all of her teeth removed. She was fitted for dentures and now typically eats only soft foods. Felicita’s tip is you might think quitting smoking feels like pulling teeth but it’s not even close.
                      Felicita R.’s Family First Story
                          CDC: Tips From Former Smokers - Felicita R.: Family First
                          Audio Description Low Resolution Video
                      Felicita R. started smoking at age 12 and smoked for more than 30 years. When she was young, she thought smoking made her look cool. She was diagnosed with severe gum disease at age 50 and had to have all of her teeth removed. In this video, Felicita talks about her mission to help friends and family members quit smoking.
                      Felicita R.’s Story
                          Felicita’s Story
                          Low Resolution Video
                      Felicita started smoking at age 12. By the time she was 40, Felicita had developed gum disease and had loose teeth—but like many people, she did not have a lot of pain as the gum disease got worse. In this video, Felicita talks about getting life—changing news from her dentist.
                      Felicita R. and Brett P.’s Ad
                          Felicita and Brett’s Ad
                          Low Resolution Video
                      Felicita started smoking at age 12 and Brett at age 16. Neither of them knew that smoking could harm their gums and teeth. In this bilingual TV ad, Brett and Felicita advise people not to smoke if they want to keep their teeth and their smiles.
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                Felicita R.’s Biography
                At age 50, Felicita went to the dentist to have one tooth pulled and learned that all her teeth needed to come out. She was a smoker and had severe gum disease. Felicita had already lost some teeth, but losing every last tooth in her mouth came as a terrible shock. Like many people with gum disease, she did not have a lot of pain as the disease got worse. But the tissues and bone structures holding her teeth in place were breaking down. On a sunny Florida day, Felicita’s dentist pulled out 23 teeth and fitted her for false teeth (dentures).
                Felicita R., age 63, lives in Florida. She started smoking at age 12 and smoked for 33 years. At age 50, Felicita was diagnosed with severe gum disease and learned that all her teeth needed to be removed. Felicita had already lost some teeth, but losing every tooth in her mouth came as a terrible shock. Like many people with gum disease, she did not have a lot of pain as the disease got worse and the tissues and bone structures holding her teeth in place were breaking down. Felicita’s dentist pulled out 23 teeth and fitted her with dentures (false teeth).
                “It was very, very hard,” says Felicita. It took a month for her mouth to heal from surgery. She had to learn how to eat, drink, and talk all over again. Felicita doesn’t like the way her dentures fit, so she only uses the top set, and her mouth gets sore easily. She eats only soft foods or puts her meals in a blender—even lettuce.
                “It was very, very hard,” says Felicita. It took a month for her mouth to heal from surgery. She had to learn how to eat, drink, and talk again. Now, she typically eats only soft foods or puts her meals in a blender—even lettuce.
                Felicita doesn’t smile much anymore, now that she has dentures. “I don’t like the way people look at me,” she says. “I feel ashamed of myself, really. I feel like I destroyed my health and my appearance with cigarettes.”
                Felicita does not like to smile now that she has dentures. “I don’t like the way people look at me,” she says. “I feel ashamed of myself, really. I feel like I destroyed my health and my appearance with cigarettes.”
                Felicita thought smoking made her look cool when she started at age 12. She grew up in New York with a rich Puerto Rican heritage and many family members who smoked. In fact, her mother gave Felicita permission to smoke, as long as she paid for her own cigarettes. And so began 33 years of smoking. Felicita smoked about 1 ½ packs a day.
                When she was young, Felicita thought smoking made her look cool. She also had many family members who smoked. In fact, her mother gave Felicita permission to smoke, as long as she paid for her own cigarettes.
                Life moved quickly: marriage; two children right away; work; two more children; and early health problems for her first husband, who was also a smoker. Felicita brushed, flossed her teeth, and saw a dentist regularly, but by her mid-30s, her gums were bleeding. At age 40, her teeth were loose, and one even fell out at home. While Felicita knew that smoking caused lung problems, she still didn’t realize that it greatly added to the problems in her mouth.
                Life moved quickly: marriage, two children right away, work, and two more children. Felicita brushed and flossed her teeth, and saw a dentist regularly, but by her mid-30s, her gums were bleeding. At age 40, her teeth were loose, and one tooth even fell out at home. While Felicita knew that smoking caused lung problems, she didn’t realize it could also cause problems with her teeth and gums.
                Felicita wanted to quit for many years, and when she was 45, she did it. But she smoked for more than 30 years and now had bad gum disease. The bleeding got worse, leaving stains on her pillow at night. One day at a work luncheon, a coworker whispered, “You’re bleeding,” with a look of disgust. Felicita hurried to the dentist, who said that all her teeth were damaged beyond repair and had to be pulled out.
                Felicita wanted to quit for many years, and she finally did after she learned she had bad gum disease. The bleeding got worse, leaving stains on her pillow at night. One day at a work luncheon, a coworker whispered, “You’re bleeding.” Felicita hurried to the dentist, who said that all her teeth were damaged beyond repair and had to be pulled out.
                Today, at age 54, Felicita loves being a nonsmoker. She can now keep up with her children on walks and takes dance classes. “I feel much better. I feel like I came back to life,” Felicita says. But she doesn’t like to eat out, where people sometimes stare at the way she slurps her food—and there’s a chance that her ill-fitting dentures could fall into her soup. She misses biting into pizza, corn, peanuts, apples, and the traditional pork dishes served at family gatherings. Felicita hopes that her story will help other people quit smoking.
                Since getting dentures, Felicita doesn’t like to eat out. She misses biting into pizza, corn, peanuts, apples, and the traditional Puerto Rican dishes served at family gatherings. “I went through physical and mental pain,” Felicita says. “The pain will always be there.”
                Today, Felicita loves being smokefree. She can now keep up with her children on walks and takes dance classes. She’s even started to smile more. She tries to help her friends and family members who still smoke to quit. “I want them to learn from my experience and my mistakes,” Felicita says. “Making people understand the pain they could go through because of smoking, that’s going to be my mission for life.”
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                More About Felicita R.
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                Felicita R.’s Tip [PDF – 212KB]
                Felicita R.’s Tip: Love for Family
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                Felicita R.’s Tip
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                Additional Resources
                  Gum (Periodontal) Disease
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                  Meet Brett P.
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      Last Reviewed: July 19, 2023
      Last Reviewed: February 24, 2025
        Source: Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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