Losing a couple of teeth is not a big deal these days and one need not worry too much about it. Thanks to dentures, missing teeth can be replaced, giving back the patient the full smile on his or her face. Dentures can be partial or complete, as the case may be. Patients need to get fitted out for dentures for which dentists need to take measurements of the oral cavity.
False teeth, whether they are partial or complete dentures, are subject to damages, which can be fixed at the dentist’s office. Apart from damage, continuous usage can cause wear and tear, which the patients need to be aware of.
Here are some common denture problems and solutions:
Eating and Speaking
Well, dentures are meant to allow the wearers to eat their food like any other normal person. However, when the dentures are new, the patients may find difficulty biting chewing and eating. Even speaking coherently may be a problem as the dentures can affect your pronunciation and it takes some time to get used to false teeth. A common problem is that clip-op dentures can easily get dislodged, affecting not only your speech, but obstructing a person’s eating if it happens during a meal. One good alternative is to go for denture paste, which helps hold the denture in position firmly, with hardly any chances for dentures getting dislodged while eating or speaking.
When the dentures are new, the wearers need to practice by eating soft foods in the beginning. Moreover, chewing and eating slowly with new dentures prevents damage or pain. If eating any type of food causes pain, it is better to avoid that food completely until the wearer gets used to the dentures.
Exercising patience is important, moreover with practice and care the dentures should not pose any problems for the patients. Evenly chewing the food (both sides) distributes the load and helps prevent strain on any particular area.
Loosening of Dentures
Dentures tend to loosen after some time as the gums and underlying bone are subject to changes. Since there are no natural teeth and the gums are exposed, a process known as resorption takes place wherein the calcium present in the jawbone is used up by other parts of the body that need it more. Patients need to visit their dentists regularly and have necessary adjustments made to their false teeth to suit the changes taking place in the gums and jaw bone.
Here again, it is the clip-on dentures that need frequent adjustments where the wire connecting the false teeth to the adjacent teeth needs to the adjusted. If denture paste is used to secure the dentures the problem of displacement does not arise. Even with clip-on dentures the shake can be fixed if it is detected early when a slight shift in the initial stages is noticed. Allowing it to become very loose can cause abrasions in the gums leading to sores that cause irritation.
Taking Care of Dentures
Extending the lifespan of the dentures depends on how well false teeth are taken care of. Denture wearers should remember that regular toothpaste meant for natural teeth cannot be used for cleaning dentures. Moreover, dentures need to be removed and cleaned. The best way to clean partial or complete dentures is to use plain, lukewarm water and a mild brush. Any sort of chemical coming in contact with the false teeth can affect the texture and cause them to erode gradually.
Dentures that are fixed using denture paste must be removed either once in 24 hours or as specified by the denture fixative cream manufacturers. Such paste-on dentures are usually free of maintenance and only need regular cleaning. A soft brush needs to be used to remove food residue lodged on the false teeth. Clip-on and stick-on dentures need to be removed before going to bed in the night. The false teeth need to be stored in glass containers filled with water.
Irritant Gums and Tissue
Ill-fitting dentures can cause irritation in the gums and tissue. After a few months of usage, dentures tend to loosen up. Loosened dentures rub against the gums and cause irritation leading to sores in the mouth. To prevent the gums from hurting the wearer must visit the dentist and have the dentures checked and refitted.
Instead of waiting until the dentures loosen, it is better to prevent such an occurrence. One way of doing this is to avoid biting on very hard foodstuffs that they can dislodge the dentures and loosen them. There is no other way except to give up some hard foodstuffs like nuts, tough meat etc. If there is difficulty biting into a crisp apple, it is better to cut it into small pieces that can be put into the mouth and chewed slowly.
On the Go with Dentures
It is better to have a traveling kit handy when one is on the go. Having a small box to store the cleaning materials like brushes etc. makes sense. Carrying a bottle of cleaning liquid while traveling is a good idea.
While traveling carrying the glass bottle in which the dentures can be stored helps keeping the false teeth intact. Apart from the cleaning brush, a regular toothbrush may be required by people who have partial dentures. It is important that even while on vacation, dentures are not ignored as they are an important part of the wearer’s life.