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denture Wearers
Many people who wear dentures think that because they have no natural
teeth, they no longer need to attend the dental surgery for inspections or
treatment. They fail to
realise that denture teeth wear down,
reducing the height of their faces and sometimes causing damage to the jaw
joints. The shape of the mouth continually changes, with the bone being
reshaped, and this results in dentures that do not fit so well. The dentures can now move
around more easily and can dig in at the edges, and this can produce ulcers and
overgrowths of gum.
These changes occur gradually and so denture
wearers rarely notice them. By the time they finally attend the dentist it is
often very difficult to provide satisfactory new dentures because there is
little jawbone left, covered by a misshaped gum.
Dentists can only do what they can to help and expecting a film star
appearance overnight after one visit unfortunately does not occur.
Denture wearers tend to be older than average in our community, and
consequently are more prone to mouth cancer which can be treated well if it is
seen by a dentist early enough.
What precautions can people who wear dentures take?
1. Leave the dentures out of your mouth at night and place them in a
glass of water to prevent drying out. Dentures must not be worn all the time but
should be left out for a minimum of 6 hours in every 24. The area under the
denture that has stagnated and has been under load needs time to rest and
recover to avoid infections.
2. After every meal, remove the dentures and clean them with a toothbrush
and soapy water, and also clean the mouth gently with a toothbrush, putting the
cleaned dentures into a clean mouth. Clean over a bowl or sink filled with water
to prevent fracture of the denture if it is dropped.
3. Dentures should not be soaked in hot water or
concentrated bleach solutions overnight. One drop of a baby bottle
sterilising liquid to half a pint of cold
water is good enough.
4. Scale or stain on dentures is best removed by a brush-on cleaner.
Remember to follow the maker's instructions as some cleansers contain acid,
which is not suitable for metal dentures.
5. Visit your dentist every year to have your dentures, gums and whole
mouth examined. Modifications can be made to improve your comfort and your whole
mouth can be inspected for your own piece of mind.
6. Never use Superglue to repair dentures and do not use sandpaper or try
to adjust the dentures yourself. Dentures are best repaired and adjusted by a
dentist and dental technician. Home repairs often damage the denture so much
that a new one has to be made, resulting in the loss of the denture and more
expense.
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