Many people think of dentures as a problem they’ll have to tolerate one day if they need to replace damaged or missing teeth. They hear stories about people who had a bad experience, and they expect dentures to be loose, difficult to wear, uncomfortable, or downright painful.
But that’s not what you should expect. Dentures should not slip, fall out, or cause pain. If they do, it’s because they don’t fit properly. Your denture experience depends on the skill of your dentist. That’s why you should consult with the team at Litchfield Dental Care.
Our providers have extensive experience creating dentures, and they care enough to be sure that every person has the best possible experience. They take time to discuss your denture options and carefully customize your new teeth so they’re a perfect fit for your mouth.
Here’s what you should know about conventional and implant-supported dentures, the two main types of full dentures.
Conventional dentures
Conventional dentures are designed to fit over your gums. The denture for your upper teeth also has a base that covers the roof of your mouth. Your dentures should feel snug, secure, and comfortable.
You may need time to adjust to new dentures because they often feel awkward and bulky at first, especially if you were used to the feel of open spaces where you had missing teeth. Sometimes it even takes a little time to get accustomed to speaking with a full set of dentures.
Your gums may feel tender in the first few weeks, but that quickly improves if your dentures fit properly. By comparison, dentures that don’t fit may cause redness, inflammation, and sores.
You should also know that even well-fitting dentures may need future adjustments because your gums and jaws change shape over time. These changes affect the way your dentures fit, a problem that we can easily solve with a few minor adjustments.
Implant-supported dentures
Implant-supported dentures don’t go over your gums. Instead, they’re anchored by dental implants.
Implants are small titanium posts that we place into your jaw. The posts are made of material that’s compatible with the bone, allowing new bone to grow and bond with the implant. Then the implant becomes a sturdy anchor for your dentures.
You can choose dentures that snap on and off the implants, or we can permanently attach your dentures to the implants. In both cases, the implants securely hold your dentures. You don’t need to worry about how they fit over your gums or looseness if your gums change.
Variables that affect your denture experience
One significant variable affecting your experience (and potential discomfort) is whether or not we need to extract your remaining teeth.
You may get temporary dentures after an extraction. With or without temporary dentures, you can expect discomfort, swelling, sensitivity, and pain due to the extraction.
You also need to have temporary dentures refitted and relined after your mouth heals. For this reason, we may recommend waiting until your gums and jaws heal before fitting you for dentures.
Another variable you may encounter is dry mouth. Dentures don’t cause dry mouth, but if other health problems affect saliva production, the lack of saliva weakens the bond between your gums and conventional dentures. In addition to treating dry mouth, we may recommend using a denture adhesive.
Poor dental hygiene may also lead to denture discomfort. This usually occurs when small pieces of food get stuck between the denture and your gums.
Call Litchfield Dental Care in Litchfield Park, Arizona, or book an appointment online if you have questions about getting dentures or if you need help with uncomfortable or loose dentures.