Dan talks about Living with Dentures

Will I still need to visit the dentist?

You want to check for any lumps, bumps, spots, or anything that shouldn’t be there and just get the all clear. You check the dentures; you check the gums, you check the lips, the cheeks – everything in the mouth, and you check the dentures for sign of wear, any cracks, anything that’s broken or any looseness at all.

How often might my dentures need replacing?

This can vary; anything from a few years (if you’ve got a very hard bite) up until 30 years, it really depends on the person and depends on the dentures. The most common way of breaking a denture is dropping it in the sink whilst cleaning it; therefore you should put water in the sink before you clean your denture, and then if you drop it, it won’t smash on the sink.

How can I prevent further tooth loss?

Denture wearers can keep their teeth clean as well as their dentures and they can go for regular dental check ups – just because you’ve got dentures it doesn’t mean you don’t need to see your dentist. You need to look after your teeth at home with good brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and perhaps even flossing, and perhaps even a mouthwash.

In the surgery we can clean up your teeth, we can regularly de-scale your teeth, and we can give you any other treatment that needs to be done.

Are there any steps patients can take to make them feel more confident about dentures?

They need to look natural, and when we make dentures we don’t just put big white teeth in someone’s mouth and make them look like a horse, we actually make teeth look natural for people, and once they smile at someone and someone says ‘Oh I didn’t know you had a denture’ then you know that your teeth look natural and that gives you more confidence. Also, if they fit properly so they’re not moving around and certainly a denture adhesive, a denture fixative might help you with this.