Dentures – Ask Dr. Farooq Sorathia
Dentures & Dentist Visit…
This article is to give some insight on the need for denture wearers, full denture – with no natural teeth, or partial denture wearers- those with some remaining natural teeth, to visit their dentist regularly. Full denture wearers are sometimes under the impression that they don’t need to visit the dentist. They have no natural teeth, so what is the dentist going to drill and fill. There are partial dentures as well, that are made in conjunction with the natural teeth. So, the question remains, “Do I need to visit the dentist if I have no natural teeth?”. The answer is a resounding YES!
The job of dentists isn’t just to look at teeth, drill and fill decayed and infected teeth. The dentist has to look at the whole mouth. These include the teeth – both artificial and natural, the tongue, the cheeks, the salivary glands, the hard palate, the soft palate, the gums, the bone, the joint of the jaw, more commonly known as TMJ, just to name a few.
Just like natural teeth, there are constant changes that happen to the tissues for denture wearers. There are changes on the underlying bone, the gums, and even the chewing mechanism. Dentists are trained to adapt these changes so that all tissues and appliances can work in harmony, without causing damage to the surrounding natural structures. Complete denture wearers and partial denture wearers must visit their dentist regularly so that their dentist may assess the stability of the denture, and make necessary adjustments so that it does not cause harm to the surrounding tissues.
Dentures are appliances for the mouth that replicate the function of artificial teeth. It is important to make sure these appliances are well taken care of and monitored. These hard appliances can cause damage to surrounding tissues and supporting bone and can cause more harm than benefit if not maintained properly.
It is important to maintain good denture hygiene. After every meal, take off your denture, rinse your mouth with water, and clean your denture with just water. Do not sleep with your dentures. When you sleep, the saliva flow reduces and doesn’t cleanse the denture. This allows for bacteria and other organisms to grow on your denture, and this can cause issues. When sleeping, keep the dentures in a bowl of water overnight. You don’t need toothpaste for dentures. Regular liquid dishwashing soap will just suffice. Use a soft toothbrush to massage the gums to stimulate the blood flow to make the gums healthy. Please remember, if your dentures hurt, please visit your dentist as soon as possible so that your dentist may adjust the denture.
