First things first, call your dentist. They should be able to get you in for an appointment right away. After the dentist examines your mouth, they can determine which option is best for you. It may be as simple as repairing or replacing your dentures.
If you want to know if your dentures will feel normal, the answer is yes. You may have recently gotten the teeth, or perhaps you are considering getting them. You might want to know what to expect. The good news is that today's prosthetics feel more natural than ever, and you can get accustomed to them quickly.
There are any number of things you can do to help make dentures more comfortable: speaking to your dentist about possible minor adjustments to the fit (especially if your dentures are new), chewing food slowly, rinsing your mouth with saltwater are all options as well as cleaning your dentures daily.
Chewing or Speaking Difficulty
It takes practice to eat and converse with dentures. Dentures are less stable and prone to fall out of position since there isn't much gum or bone underneath to resist movement. In fact, chewing meals with new dentures can take up to 5 times longer.
Some of the most common problems with dentures are that: They tend to move in the mouth, especially while eating and/or talking. They collect and trap food which can lead to gums problems, decay and further tooth loss.
Patients who might not be a candidate for dentures are those who do not have enough healthy gum tissue and jawbone structure to support the dentures. If needed, however, these patients can restore the health of the gum tissue and bone structure to secure dentures in place at a later time.
A total of 37.9% of the patients were very satisfied regarding speaking with their implant overdentures vs. 17.2% with conventional dentures. Furthermore, 41.4% were very comfortable with their implant overdentures vs. 5.2% were very comfortable using conventional dentures.
The bite force that dentures provide is much weaker than natural teeth and dental implants. This is because dentures rest over the gums, rather than teeth and implants whose roots are anchored to the jaw bone. Also, with traditional dentures, chewing capacity is decreased by 50%.
Dentures that are too short will cause the lips and cheeks to fold in creating a sunken look and improperly fitted ones can cause bone deterioration which will also change the shape of your face. We believe that the best way to begin to restore your appearance is with properly fitted dentures.
Because dentures rest on that gum ridge and are customized to fit its shape and size, dentures loosen as this happens, and for many patients, end up feeling too big for their mouths. What are your options if this has happened to you?
Flexible dentures are thin, lightweight, and pliable, which means they're more comfortable than traditional dentures. There's no long adjustment period needed when you start wearing them. Flexible dentures do not absorb odors or stains.
When a patient first gets dentures, it can take up to 30 days to get used to wearing the denture. During this time, patients may struggle with learning how to chew and speak with their new teeth, as well as experience soreness and pain on their gums from the denture.
New denture wearers will begin to feel more 'normal' after about 30 days. During this time, you can expect to have some soreness and discomfort as your mouth heals and you become accustomed to having a foreign object in your mouth.
It's a legitimate concern and there is definitely an adjustment period where talking, chewing and normal activities will feel different. Once you've learned to adjust, you should be able to communicate normally. It usually takes about 2 weeks for your tongue to get use to the new environment.
Custom Dentures
These dentures are made of more expensive teeth, which gives you a more natural-looking smile. One can actually see the new denture before it's completed. This denture is customized for one's smile, so it's natural looking and suits one's needs.
Thanks to modern dentistry, upper dentures are now made without the palate, also known as palateless dentures or horseshoe dentures. This type of denture is made for patients who do not have all their upper teeth. Palateless dentures can be used with overdentures, removable restoration, and dental implants.
Adjusting to dentures means that, in time and with some practice, you will be able to speak clearly. At first your voice may sound odd because the sound reaches your ears through vibrations in the bones of the jaw and skull. Wearing dentures changes and increases the sound, but only you will notice this.
And considering that dentures often look better than real teeth, are unnoticeable, and can make it easier to chew and talk, there's nothing to be ashamed of.
With missing teeth or ill-fitting dentures, your facial muscles will begin to sag, giving you a lopsided, sunken appearance. But with properly fitting dentures designed at the correct height, your face will be proportioned as it should. Dentures are designed to simulate natural teeth.
When wearing new dentures, you might feel that your dentures are too big or that your lips are being pushed forward, making it difficult to smile naturally. This “full-mouth” feeling is common when you first get new dentures and will subside once you become accustomed to wearing them.
If you need to bite down on hard food, such as an apple, use your canines instead of your front teeth. Otherwise, you can cause your dentures to slip and slide around, hurting your gums. Make sure you distribute your food evenly on both sides in the back of your mouth when you chew.
It's natural to experience soreness, excessive salivation, and tight facial muscles during the first few weeks that you start wearing dentures. By day 14, these side effects should have lessened and regular activities like eating may start to become easier.
Dental implants lead to fewer visits to the dentist because they're easier to maintain compared to dentures. With dental implants, you never have to worry about them falling out while speaking or laughing in social situations. Also, they feel more comfortable and look more natural than dentures.
Initially you might feel like there is a lot in your mouth and that the dentures are too bulky. It doesn't take long for the body to adapt to this new sensation with continued use. Your denture may be slightly uncomfortable at first: the soft tissues in the mouth aren't used to being in constant contact with materials.
For those who don't grow enough bone, the implant and bone graft are placed together. At Premier Periodontics, we use minimally invasive Piezoelectric techniques to perform a bone grafting procedure to replace lost bone.