How to Adjust to Your Dentures with Ease

Transitioning to dentures is a major step in restored oral health, and while the change can be dramatic, it doesn’t need to be difficult. Perhaps the first step in the adjustment is recognizing you’ve got a new normal when it comes to eating, speaking, and caring for your mouth. 

At Gables Sedation Dentistry, we’re here to help you through the transition. Our oral care professionals specialize in fitting full, partial, and implant-supported dentures to meet your requirements in the most accommodating and comfortable way.

Life with your new dentures takes a little planning and perhaps learning new care techniques, and we’re always here to answer your questions. We’ve prepared this primer on how to adjust to your dentures with ease.

Dentures are common

Of the full set of 32 adult teeth that most people start with, an average of about 26 remain by the time American adults reach their mid-40s. Complete tooth loss affects 2.2% of the population over the age of 20.

That’s a lot of teeth that need replacing, and the best option for many includes dentures. Replacing lost teeth with dentures has been the go-to method for centuries and the technology continues to improve even now.

While there are new options with dental implants, not everyone is a candidate for these. Dentures continue to be an important part of dental care for many across the country. 

Adjusting to life with dentures

When compared with natural teeth, dentures replace the visible part of the tooth (the crown), and contemporary materials provide you with replacements that closely match the appearance of natural tooth enamel. 

Dentures don’t, however, replace tooth roots, the anchors that keep your teeth in place in the bone of your jaws. Because of this, there are alternate ways to secure denture plates, both full and partial, and these solutions vary depending on conditions in your mouth, such as the number of remaining natural teeth or the condition of your gums and jawbone. 

Since this represents a complete change compared with natural teeth, most of the adjustments you’ll encounter trace back to the differences in the way your dentures connect with your body. There are effective workarounds, though it takes some time to make the transition. 

Consider these strategies to ease the adjustment into your new smile:

Be ready for your fitting

After your dentures arrive from the lab, we fine-tune your custom fit. It’s important that you relay any locations or pressure points, even if they don’t cause much discomfort at your appointment. These may be places where you need adjustment later. Your dentures should be close-fitting and comfortable.

Give yourself an adjustment period

Like glasses or hearing aids, there’s a period of time to get used to dentures, both on practical and psychological fronts. Realistic expectations for an adjustment period can help you manage the frustration of learning the necessary skills.

Follow your post-extraction plan

If you had teeth removed prior to your denture fitting, there’s a period of healing that’s unique to you. Following our plan to manage discomfort and swelling keeps recovery going as quickly as it can.

Follow up on your fit

Conditions inside your mouth change over time and this affects the fit of your dentures. You’ll need adjustments and updates in the future, and acting on these promptly helps us assure you dentures stay trouble-free.

Life with dentures works best when you have professional partners like the team at Gables Sedation Dentistry in Coral Gables, Florida, serving the Miami area. Call or click today to book a consultation to discuss your denture needs.