Your Dentures

Upper complete denture: What to Expect

Keep in mind no artificial replacement of your teeth can be expected to be as good as a sound set of natural teeth. You must learn from experience what you can and can not do with your artificial teeth.

Start slowly eating foods that require hard chewing. After your initial denture placement or denture reline, you may develop "sore spots". Please contact our office immediately for adjustments. Do not expect sore spots to disappear on their own. Do not try to adjust the denture yourself. This could affect how your denture fits or its retention. Adjustments will be made at no additional charge for the first two months following a new denture, partial, or reline. Warm salt water rinses will help heal sore spots after they have been adjusted. (Check with your physician if you have been placed on a low- or salt-free diet). We may also recommend topical anesthetic (such as Orabase, Anbesol, etc.) to relieve discomfort of some sore areas.

Attempting to eat corn on the cob, apples, or other difficult foods may tend to dislodge your dentures. You could cut these foods and chew them with your back teeth, instead of biting into them. This will aid in seating the dentures, while tearing or attempting to bite food off with the front teeth tends to unseat the denture. It is also recommended to separate your food, chewing on both sides. This will minimize dislodging the denture.

Increased saliva after initial denture placement is common for the first couple of weeks, and will subside as you become accustomed to your dentures.

Speech will be difficult for the first few days, but will improve after a few days of adjustment to your new prosthesis.

Changes will continue to occur in the bones and soft tissues of your mouth after the prosthesis is seated. Regular exams by a dentist can continue to be beneficial. The dentist will check the fit of the denture, health of the tissues, and examine your mouth and tissues for oral cancer and other pathology. It is recommended to visit our office once a year for a denture/tissue check. We will also clean your denture, as tartar will buildup on your denture, just as it did on your natural teeth.

Care of Your Mouth:

Regardless of what you may have been told in the past, complete dentures and partials should be left out of your mouth while sleeping. Your tissues need a break, as any prosthesis will interfere with the normal circulation of blood in the soft tissues and underlying bone. Giving your tissues a break will help prevent infections of the tissues underlying the prosthesis.

Initially our office may ask that you leave your denture in continuously if it was placed immediately following the extraction of teeth. This may be recommended to minimize swelling, and so the dentures can act as a bandage as the tissues are healing. Our office will schedule a 24 hour post op check. Do not attempt to remove your denture in this first 24 hour period. Dr. Wragge will remove your denture initially and show you how to take care of your denture. Your denture should continue to act as a protective bandage for the first 3-5 days. We recommend taking it out for cleaning only during this time. Leaving your denture out more than 5 minutes during this initial healing time, may allow the tissue to swell and you may not be able to re-insert the denture properly. After this initial healing period, the danger of swelling is gone and the denture should be removed from the mouth each night to maintain good tissue health.

It is recommended to use a soft toothbrush to massage and cleanse the gum tissue daily. Use warm water to soften the bristles first. Keeping the tissues clean helps prevent infections and stimulates blood flow to the tissues, which encourages healthy tissue. Brushing the tongue also eliminates bacteria, as the anatomy of the tongue creates a good environment for bacteria to thrive.

Care of Your Dentures:

Always keep your denture wet. Allowing your denture to "dry out" may cause it to become brittle, and become more likely to break. Soaking them nightly, when they are not in your mouth is recommended. If you have a partial denture, remember that since your partial denture has metal clasps that touch certain teeth, the tendency for decay is much greater. It is necessary to remove the partial after each meal to clean it and your natural teeth.

Clean you dentures thoroughly daily. We recommend soaking them overnight in a commercial denture cleaner. You can brush them with a stiff bristled denture brush. Do not brush your natural teeth or gums with this denture brush, as it may damage them. Do not use scouring powder, toothpaste, or abrasive hand soap to clean your prosthesis as they may contain abrasive agents which may scratch your denture. This could cause it to more easily accumulate plaque and tartar or compromise the integrity of the prosthesis. Do not soak a partial denture, which has metal parts, in any bleach type cleaners. Bleach may tarnish the metal, causing it to turn black. This can affect the integrity of the partial, but will also make it more difficult to clean. Using extremely hot water on your denture may cause the denture to warp.

If your denture begins to buildup stains or tartar, you can bring it to our office to be professionally cleaned. We have cleaners, specially formulated to remove stubborn stains and tartar, which will not harm your denture.

If a problem arises with your denture, return to our office for help. Do not attempt to adjust, reline, or repair your denture with super glue or any other adhesives. The denture may be ruined if you attempt these repairs yourself.

You can expect your dentures to last for many years, depending on how well you take care of them. Some people will be harder on their dentures than others. Regular denture care at home and at our office, will prolong the life of your dentures.