Ted: the piece made a very significant difference in my appearance. I knew a lot of people would notice the change so I attempted to distort people's perceptions of what I looked like beforehand - I wore a hat to work for 2 weeks then I attached over a long weekend. Additionally, I started out with a smaller partial; I later transitioned to the larger partial I wear now.

Still, the change was too dramatic and most people noticed. It was interesting to see who commented and who didn't. The piece looked good so I told people I grew it out. Most people believed me or didn't care, a couple seemed skeptical but who cares. Another important factor is the delivery - toward the beginning I was nervous and didn't know what to say and got flustered; later on I responded with an arched eyebrow, nonchalant voice and, "oh, yeah, I grew out my hair - thanks for noticing. How's it look?" Proper delivery serves as deflection.

The transition will always be awkward to one degree or another. Wearing isn't for the faint of heart.