Paul talks about Adapting to Dentures

How should my dentures feel?

After fitting a denture, in the bedding in period, it may feel a little uncomfortable and there could be some areas where there are some pressure points. Now, if these persist after 24hrs it is advisable to have them adjusted. They could go back to their denture provider and possibly have them relined, which is one process, they could have them adjusted so they fit better anyway, or they could use a good fixative in the meantime.

How can Poligrip help?

With a new set of dentures it’s often quite good because it can act almost as a lubricant, you could say, between the hard new dentures that the patient is not used to and their soft tissues. It also gives patients great confidence for example, many patients like wearing Poligrip although their dentures fit perfectly adequately, they just like to be extra secure and confident.

We do go through how to use fixative and stress the importance of not putting too much fixative on the denture. I think this is an area where most people go wrong really because they read the instructions and the instructions often indicate putting three small pea sized pieces onto the denture, onto a dry denture, most patients tend to put three larger peas next time and try and get the dentures fitting even tighter, but this can, in the end, work against the actual fixative working, so it’s best to stick to the manufacturers recommendations.

How should I clean and care for my dentures?

It’s very important for the patients to realise that their dentures, as their teeth, really do need cleaning at least twice a day, either by soaking the dentures in a three minute soaking, or by soaking them overnight. Generally good cleaning with a good denture brush and possibly a denture cream is excellent.