How does she lose her teeth?

I don't know how she did it, but she misplaced her bottom denture.  She couldn't remember how long it had been missing, but it was gone.  My husband and I rushed to the assisted living facility because we thought she might have taken it out for breakfast or lunch and the teeth might be in the trash bin.  I searched her room...the dirty clothes basket, trashcans, drawers, pockets, cabinets, closet, under chairs, bed...everywhere.  My husband and facility manager took the central trash bin.  My husband said you wouldn't want to know what was in the trash at the old folks' home.  Then I started searching her room again with the help of the staff.  I was going crazy.  I didn't want to have to buy a new set of teeth, but, of course, I would because she has to have them.  But how would she manage sitting in the dentist's chair?  What a nightmare!

Amazingly, one of the caregivers found the teeth in a coffee cup, hidden under a paper towel and a bunch of footlets stuffed in the cup.   The cup was in her chest of drawers in the back of the second drawer.   All of us had looked in the cup under the footlets, but not under the wadded-up paper towel.
I washed them and gave them back to my mother.  She tried to stick them in her ear and tells me that she has her hearing aids.  I tell her that the teeth go into her mouth.   Oh-h-h-h.  She walked me to the door, points to her ears and tells me thanks for finding her whatever.   It was sad, but funny, too.
Hiding and hoarding are classic symptoms of dementia.