Patient Education

Your Guide to a Healthy Smile

YOUR JOB

You must study lessons or books to learn to use artificial teeth. All you have to do is wear them continually. No matter how difficult you experience, you will gradually learn to master them. Some people struggle to drive a car, some learn quickly, and some will never know. The same holds for dentures. A few denture wearers must assume the right mental attitude and give the new teeth a chance. Usually, they will blame the dentures and never learn to wear them. It takes about four times longer to learn to master a lower denture than an upper denture.
People with poor gum ridges will have more trouble than others. They usually realize the difficulty and are ready for the worst. When they get their dentures, they are often surprised that it isn't as bad as they thought.
If you have lost tissue (generally caused by ill-fitting dentures over a long period), your dentures will only fit correctly once the tissue is firmed. This can be done surgically by an oral surgeon or wearing a well-fitted reline or replacement denture. As your tissue firms, the denture will loosen and must be relined after six months to a year. The second reline is charged separately, but it's a small investment compared to surgery.

You must study lessons or books to learn to use artificial teeth. All you have to do is wear them continually. No matter how difficult you experience, you will gradually learn to master them. Some people struggle to drive a car, some learn quickly, and some will never know. The same holds for dentures. A few denture wearers must assume the right mental attitude and give the new teeth a chance. Usually, they will blame the dentures and never learn to wear them. It takes about four times longer to learn to master a lower denture than an upper denture.

People with poor gum ridges will have more trouble than others. They usually realize the difficulty and are ready for the worst. When they get their dentures, they are often surprised that it isn't as bad as they thought.
If you have lost tissue (generally caused by ill-fitting dentures over a long period), your dentures will only fit correctly once the tissue is firmed. This can be done surgically by an oral surgeon or wearing a well-fitted reline or replacement denture. As your tissue firms, the denture will loosen and must be relined after six months to a year. The second reline is charged separately, but it's a small investment compared to surgery.

Experienced denture wearers should avoid tough meat, "slippery" foods such as chicken skin and lettuce, and hard foods such as peanuts for the first week after getting replacement dentures or relines.
Remember to eat slowly at first. Take your time and concentrate on discovering the chewing motions that are the most comfortable and most effective for you.
Take small bites of food and distribute the food evenly on both sides of your mouth at the same time as you chew.
Use an up-and-down chewing motion. A lateral (side-to-side) chewing motion may dislodge the backs of your dentures, make your adjustment period longer and more challenging, create unnecessary sore spots, and slow settling.
To bite off a morsel of food like an apple or carrot, press between the front teeth and break the food off with a twisting hand motion. Dentures greatly diminish your biting force. People with natural teeth may exert 100 to 200 pounds of force per square inch of bite. Denture wearers may exert only about 25 pounds per square inch.

Clean your dentures after each meal with a denture brush. Avoid gritty paste and powders as they scratch the denture base and give food particles a place to cling. Remove stains from conventional dentures by soaking in 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 warm water for 10-15 minutes.
It would help if you made the dentures become as much of you as possible. Wear them at night if you can. You may find them on the pillow at first, but eventually, you cannot sleep without them. If it bothers you too much, take them out at night.
No two people encounter the same problems or experience the same success or satisfaction with dentures. Your case is individual. What has worked for you in the past, or what has worked for a friend or relative, may not apply to you and your new, replacement, or reline denture. Remember, as with learning any new skill, practice does make perfect.

Clean your dentures after each meal with a denture brush. Avoid gritty paste and powders as they scratch the denture base and give food particles a place to cling. Remove stains from conventional dentures by soaking in 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 warm water for 10-15 minutes.
It would help if you made the dentures become as much of you as possible. Wear them at night if you can. You may find them on the pillow at first, but eventually, you cannot sleep without them. If it bothers you too much, take them out at night.

No two people encounter the same problems or experience the same success or satisfaction with dentures. Your case is individual. What has worked for you in the past, or what has worked for a friend or relative, may not apply to you and your new, replacement, or reline denture. Remember, as with learning any new skill, practice does make perfect.

Call us at (503) 666-1698 to learn more.