Dentures

Sometimes the best thing to do is to extract a tooth. Once this decision has been made the teeth or tooth should be extracted as efficiently and expeditiously as possible. We are not in the business of hanging onto teeth when they should be extracted.  Sometimes when teeth are extracted the best thing to do is replace them with a denture.

 

A denture is a prosthesis (an artificial body part). There are different types.

             Partial denture. Replaces some of the upper or lower teeth.  Such a denture is normally supported and rests upon the remaining teeth. Normally such a denture is either made from plastic or plastic and metal.

             Full denture.  Replaces all the natural upper or lower teeth.  It is possible to have an full upper denture and a lower part denture or other combinations.

             Immediate denture. The denture is placed in the mouth immediately the teeth are extracted.  After the teeth are extracted the gum shrinks.  As the gum shrinks it ceases to fit as well.  After a few months it may need relining to fit better.

             Over denture. A denture that fits over top of remaining teeth roots.  The teeth roots will help support the denture and you will be able to bite harder foods. But you will need to look after and clean the teeth under the denture.

 

 

The problem with dentures.  They are a poor replacement for natural teeth.  They can be difficult to adapt to; make eating slower and more difficult, affect the speech; be embarrassingly loose; be painful but the thing that affects me more than anything else is:

They can have a disastrous effect upon the remaining natural teeth. Partial dentures rest upon and put extra pressure upon the natural teeth.  Plaque and food tends to collect on the denture and between the denture and your natural teeth. Cleaning of teeth is demonstrably more difficult. Unless cleaning is good a partial denture can be a short steeping stone to a full denture.

 

Cleaning?

Natural teeth need to be cleaned as normal.  At least twice a day.  With a brush and between the teeth with floss or interproximal brushes. You also need to gently brush the area of gum that sits under the denture with the toothbrush.

When you take the dentures out they must also be cleaned. Probably best to use a different brush. An old tooth brush or a nail brush. When scrubbing the dentures do not use abrasives, detergents, bleaches or standard toothpastes. You can use a mild soap or a proprietary creams or pastes.  Clean both surfaces of the denture.

Another dental myth is that dentures often break when being cleaned. I don’t know if it true but if you think it is then take precautions such as cleaning the dentures over a sink containing water.

 

The other problem is when you are out and about eating food.  If your denture is a food magnet and food tends to collect around the denture then you need to take the denture out and rinse away all the food as soon as possible.

 

What about at night?

Ideally all dentures (full and partial dentures) should be removed at night when you are asleep at night.  This is to give the gums and the area under the denture a chance to rest and recover.  It’s analogous to taking your shoes off at night to allow your feet a chance to breath.  It doesn’t matter how often I say this there are some people who for a variety of reasons find it impossible to sleep without wearing their dentures.  All I can do is sigh and say that at the very least the dentures should be taken out twice a day a cleaned thoroughly. This includes brushing the gum under the denture.  At night the denture can be either soaked in a proprietary solution or a glass of water.

 

How long will my dentures last?

The day they are fitted they should fit snugly. It is then a question of how quickly they go downhill.  The teeth on a denture will normally wear down. The rate of this varies considerably.  The gum or fitting surface of the denture doesn’t wear.  The gum under the denture will change so that with time the dentures can either become ill-fitting or put more pressure on the natural teeth.  Partial denture should be checked regularly when the natural teeth are checked.  Full dentures should be replaced about every 5/6 years. An alternative to replacing a full denture can be relining it.  This is normally advised if there is little wear of the teeth. If the denture is ill-fitting we do not recommend an adhesive or self liners.  We advise a permanent reline or new dentures.