Denture Fitting

Dentures take at least two visits 2-3 weeks apart to complete because your denture is being made by a laboratory specifically to fit your teeth and gums.

At the final fitting of your denture, we check the fit, retention, and contacts/bite with the other teeth. Sometimes the enamel on the opposing tooth/teeth will be smoothened to ensure a harmonious bite.

We believe that you will be very successful with your new denture. When you begin to wear it, there is an adjustment period where your usual mouth functions may need to be relearned. These include chewing, speaking, swallowing, appearance of lip posture, and ridge comfort. The following suggestions may help you in adapting to your new denture as well as in maintaining it.

We hope you will love smiling with your new teeth.

What to Expect After your Treatment

Sensitivity and Tenderness

■ It is somewhat normal to feel some discomfort and tenderness in the teeth and gums over the next few days as your body undergoes the natural healing process.

■ Sore spots are normal. Please give us a call to have your denture adjusted, as necessary. We want to make sure that you will be able to use your new denture, as comfortably as possible.

■ The discomfort is usually worse on eating, and soft diet is advised. Even so, redness and ulceration of the area under the denture can occur. We usually advise you to persist, and come in so that we can see the offending areas to adjust on the fitting surface of the denture.

■ These symptoms are temporary and usually respond very well to over-the-counter pain medications.

What to Do After Treatment

Eating

■ Avoid pain by starting with easy but nutritious food to eat. Examples of a softer diet can include fish, eggs, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, soups and yoghurt.

■ If you have discomfort, remove the prostheses and massage the painful area with your finger. Let the gums rest and then replace the denture later on. Continue to use your denture until your next visit. If you fail to wear the denture, no sore will be visible and precise adjustments will be very difficult.

■ Try to chew with food on both sides of your mouth. If food is placed on both sides, the denture will be less likely to tip. Try not to bite with the front teeth as this may cause the back end of the denture to move off the gums. Biting with the side teeth will give better stability. Holding the top denture up with the tongue while chewing requires a special talent but this habit can be very useful.

Speech

■ Speech is a very complicated and dynamic process involving all parts of the airway and mouth. Your dentures have been constructed to meet the demands of stability and retention during speech.

■ Fortunately, people are very adaptable and speech can often sound very good even at the time of delivery. If your speech does not sound right to you, give it some time and normal body adaptation will resolve your concerns.

■ Practise reading aloud as much as possible. Be patient. Do not focus undue attention on the process.

Swallowing

■ Pain during swallowing may simply require a minor prosthesis base adjustment.

Saliva

■ You may salivate more or less heavily for the next several days, until your mouth is accustomed to the presence of the new appliance. Be patient and the flow will return to normal.

How to care for your new denture

Cleaning

■ To remove food debris and bacterial plaque from your prostheses, brush gently with a denture brush. Use only soap and water when brushing.

■ You may also use commercially available denture cleaning agents in the form of effervescent soaking solutions. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

■ Always wash your dentures over a basin of water or a cloth. If they are dropped on a hard surface, the acrylic portion may fracture and any metal may bend.

Sleep

■ In general, take the denture out or at least remove the lower denture for the night. This will allow the gums to rest.

■ If this causes the jaw joints to hurt replace the dentures and use your best judgment for comfortable sleep.

Issues with Denture

■ Occasionally, due to the morphology of the underlying jaw bone, the use of adhesive cream or paste may be required to attain satisfactory retention.

■ If your denture is very loose please contact the practice.

■ Your denture may initially feel “high” or “tall” but this usually feels better in a day or two. If the teeth hurt or feel weird to bite down on then please contact the team.

Denture Follow Up Review Appointment

■ After denture fitting, follow-up usually requires between one to two visits.

Please call Artiste Studios if

■ if there are problems with pain, chewing, or with wear or breakage of the base or teeth. We would love to help!

Taking Care of Your Teeth After a New Denture

You will need to care for your denture like any other teeth; it needs to be kept clean and hygienic. Dentures themselves cannot get cavities, but there is still tooth structure where the denture ends and your tooth begins again. You can get tooth decay there if you do not brush and keep these surfaces clean, and if that happens, the cavity will be deep and close to the gum. If the nerve has already been removed, ie in a root canal treated tooth, then this is even more important, as you will not feel the cavity even though it may be very large.

Dentures will usually need to be replaced in 2-5 years but can last a long time with proper care; practise good oral hygiene, including brushing, flossing, regular checkups and cleanings.

We recommend you come in for follow-ups during annual examinations. We will monitor changes in the shape of the ridges, wear of the teeth and general oral health. They may need to be relined, and or replaced if there is excessive change in the shape of your gums.