Adapting to wearing dentures

When first wearing dentures they can feel uncomfortable. It is unlikely that you will find the painful as most people say that dentures just feel weird. Having dentures also comes with a lot of responsibility. For example, you have to adjust what you eat and you have to spend time ensuring that your dentures are clean.

In this guide we hope to give you some tips and advice that will make it easier for you to adapt to wearing braces.

Eating with dentures

When you first get dentures, you may struggle to eat food normally. Having sticky foods, raw vegetables and other hard food should be avoided until you become use to wearing dentures. The amount of time this takes depends on the person however this can be a couple of days or even weeks.

The best things to eat when you first get dentures is soft foods such as soups and yoghourt. You should cut your food in smaller pieces so that it is more easier to chew. When chewing have some food on both sides of your mouth – this will make it easier for you to balance the food and chew in the same way that you did before.

Having said all this, it is important that you do not let wearing braces get into the way of having a healthy diet. Just because you may struggle to eat raw fruit and vegetables or nuts does not mean that you should avoid them altogether as this can have a drastic impact on your overall level of health. There are many healthy smoothie recipes that will help you ensure that you are having all the vitamins and minerals that you need without having to chew hard fruits.

There are many recipes available online for those who wear dentures – just because you wear dentures it does not mean that you have to put up with bland food.

Speaking

Many people with dentures complain about adjusting to speaking with dentures. It can take a while for you to be able to speak like you were able to before you had dentures. However, after a few days of getting your dentures you should see some improvement in the way you speak.

It may sound tedious, but the best way to improve your speech is o practice at home. Look at the way your tongue and teeth move when trying to pronounce certain phrases.

Saliva

Some people find that as a result of wearing dentures their mouth produces more saliva then usual. When you sneeze or cough you may feel your dentures loosen. However, this does not necessarily mean that your dentures are poorly fitted – as this is fairly natural.

Things that you should look out for when wearing dentures

Sometimes things can go wrong when wearing dentures. When this happens it is important not to panic. Your dentists will be trained in dealing with these problems and they will be able to give you the help and advice that you need.

Most problems with dentures are caused as a result of poor maintenance of dentures. It is important to take dentures out when you sleep; they are not permanent fixtures! They need to be kept in clean water. Not doing so can lead up to the build up of bacteria, which can hurt your gums.

Relining and Rebasing

Since the gums can change shape it is essential that you look out for signs that suggest that you need to get your dentures altered so that they continue to fit your teeth perfectly. if you don’t do this then the chance of them falling out in public will be higher.

If the shape of your teeth change then your dentist may decide to reline or rebase your dentures so that they fit better.

Relining

Relining dentures involves the readjustment of the existing bases that the dentures continue to properly fit your gums. When teeth are extracted bone resorption may occur – this is where the bone that held your extracted tooth shrinks. If this is happens your dentist may recommend relining.

This procedure usually takes between 30 and 60 minutes.

You can have a soft reline – which is usually made from a soft material. This is usually a temporary solution that needs constant replacement. The other option is a hard reline, which is made from resin. This provides less flexibility then a soft reline. However, people chose hard relines over soft relines because they do not need to be replaced as often.

Rebasing

Rebasing involves replacing the entire base of the denture. It is a less common procedure then relining and is more complex.

Many people chose relining over rebasing because when rebasing your dentures you can be without dentures for a significant period of time such as several days.