Getting used to new dentures
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How do dentures feel?
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Denture prescription warning signs
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Making friends with new teeth
No two people will have the same experience in getting used to new dentures. Everyone, who is a wearer of dentures will have a unique patient journey, and while the learning curve with prosthetics is smooth for some, for others, it can present more of a challenge.
At the Denture Clinic we pride ourselves on the care we deliver, and the diligence we show during the prescribing and manufacturing processes continues well after the dentures are fitted.
The early weeks after the final fitting of our dentures are of particular interest to us. Of course, even our production process that uses cutting edge technology for a precise fit cannot always mitigate our human anatomy.
So what is it like making friends with your new dentures and what discomfort can be expected?
Some patients never experience a single problem from day one. Recently we had an 82-year-old lady who celebrated her new dentures by ordering steak during a meal out with a friend.
But sometimes patients have to work at making friends with their dentures.
Let’s have a reality check: For first-time denture wearers, chances are they will feel like a foreign object in your mouth, because, frankly they are. Even perfect fitting, painless dentures, are still going to feel like you have a mouthful of plastic, and that’s only natural at first.
The best way to overcome that feeling is to spend quality time getting acquainted with each other. New dentures need to be worn and don’t worry if there are problems we’ll be with you all the way.
The act of keeping the dentures in your mouth all day long should very quickly enable you to get accustomed to them.
All new denture wearers go through this stage to some extent, and we can’t recall any who have not worked through it with our support and a little fine tuning on the prosthetic.
One of our highly skilled technicians at work
Very rare hypersensitive reaction to dentures
There are, however, some signs new denture wearers need to look out for if things aren’t settling down after the first few days.
If we have prescribed the dentures – we have blogged on the lengthy process we engage to secure the most harmonious fit with gums – our principal, Steven Burchell Dip CDT RCS(Eng) will have ensured the fit is excellent, so we have a clinical history from which to work.
Those experiencing problems with prescriptions that are not dispensed from the Denture Clinic are welcome to a free initial consultation, but if the dentures are new, we would advise you return to your prescriber and explain your issues thoroughly. Catch our heartbeat here . . . We are not being dismissive, but are professional in our approach and would expect the original prescriber to work through your problems.
One thing to note, but it is extremely rare, some people suffer from a hypersensitive reaction to the resin base of the denture. Symptoms can differ but can include swollen gums and a rash.
Training mouth muscles for dentures
Also, training the muscles in your mouth how to manipulate your dentures into doing what you need them to do can feel strange. Again, all first-time denture wearers must work to get through this period, but they do eventually learn, and the process is nowhere near as foreboding as it appears.
Your new denture should feel solid in construction unless you have been prescribed flexible dentures.
There should be no wiggling or slipping.
Periodontal problems
And finally . . . There are also physical warning signs denture wearers should watch out for.
Particularly for those with a partial prosthetic, periodontal disease within native teeth can wreak havoc with your gums and dental ridge, making it nearly impossible to wear conventional dentures. Gum disease could also delay the process of receiving denture implants.
Warning signs of gum trouble
Warning signs of gum problems include mouth pain, bleeding gums, spaces developing between teeth, swollen and tender gums, receding gums, persistent bad breath, pus coming from the gums, and changes in the way your teeth fit together.
A dentist should examine persistent red or white spots and sores that do not go away within two weeks.
