Dentures

Especially after first being fitted for dentures, and with lower dentures, which come loose easier, focus on eating food that is soft and easy to chew. Here are some examples of denture-friendly foods!

• Cooked Vegetables
• Pasta
• Eggs
• Porridge
• Smoothies

A full denture is a removable prosthesis that replaces all of your natural teeth. They are typically made out of a pink acryllic resin or porcelain material. They stay in your mouth with a natural suction created based on a precise fitting and fabrication of the denture.

A partial denture replaces one or more of your natural teeth. They are typically made out of a combination of acryllic resin and a base plate of metal with metal clasps to hold the denture in place.. Other materials can be used and will be discussed with you at your consultation.

A denturist is an oral health care provider that has undergone three years of training to be able to diagnose, impress for, deliver and monitor dentures. We are proud to have a denturist at our Sierra Studio location.

You can sleep with your dentures on—and many people do on the first night—but it is advisable to get into the habit of taking them out when you sleep.

Dentures can stain and bacteria can build up around them. There are several other important health benefits of taking your dentures out at night.

If you take your dentures out of your mouth when you sleep, you should experience the following benefits:

• Slower bone loss: because of the pressure placed on gums and bone under the dentures, it can result in bone resorption. This risk is mitigated by taking the dentures out at night time and relieving the pressure on the gums.
• Prevention of bacteria buildup: where dentures and gums meet can be a breeding ground for bacteria, resulting not only in bad breath but also gum disease. Taking your dentures out at night reduces the buildup.
• Prevention of inflammation of the gums: by taking your dentures out, saliva is better able to flow freely in the mouth and this helps prevent denture stomatitis or “thrush”: a yeast infection that causes red, inflamed gums.

A tighter fit of denture: bone loss in the gums can ordinarily lead to looser fitting dentures over time, resulting in slipping. By reducing the bones loss, your dentures are more likely to remain snug-fitting.

When a person has their teeth extracted in preparation for dentures, most are anxious to have the dentures fitted as soon as possible.

The time it takes will depend on the type of dentures that are to be fitted and how quickly you heal.

Custom-made dentures typically take between two and six months to fit after the teeth have been extracted. This provides the necessary healing time for the bone and gum tissue.

In the meantime, your dentist can provide a set of temporary dentures that may feel a little odd at first but which will do the job—and allow the gums and bone to heal before the permanent dentures are fabricated.

The dentures can be placed any time after the bone and gums have fully healed. This usually takes a minimum of six to eight weeks but each patient is different and heals at their own pace depending on many factors (age, diabetes, general health, smoking status, etc.)

“Immediate dentures” are placed over the gums as soon as the teeth are extracted, thereby protecting the mouth and the jawbone.

Sometimes, immediate dentures are chosen as permanent dentures. These must generally be relined multiple times during the healing of the bone and gum tissue as it will change in shape during this process. New dentures may ultimately be necessary in any case depending on the final shape of the bone and gums after healing has taken place.

A denture rests on your gum tissue and can sometimes cause a sore spot or gum irritation. See your dentist or denturist as typically adjustments to the denture can be made to relieve these sore spots.

Yes, often additional teeth can be added to your existing partial denture. See your dentist or denturist about this.

Often your denturist can repair a broken denture with minimal turn around time.

On average dentures last around 5-8 years.

Annual check ups with your dentist or denturist are recommended to keep an eye on the fit. Your gum tissue also needs to be evaluated for irritation, inflammation and other oral health issues.