Dental Advice for the Sweet Tooth

Hey! I'm Frankie, and welcome to my dental advice blog. I'm a foodie and I love sweet treats, but I also love my teeth! It can be hard to keep your dental health in top condition when you've got a sweet tooth, but it's not impossible. Over the years, I've learned tons of great advice from friends, family members and dentists, and I'd love to share it with you. My blog is here to give you all the tips and tricks you need to stay free of decay and other tooth problems without giving up all your favourite foods and snacks.

2 Common Problems Patients with New Dentures Might Have

Dentist Blog

While full or partial dentures are a helpful solution for people that have lost a number or all of their teeth, the adaptation process can take a while, depending on the unique set of conditions surrounding your need for dentures. This article highlights some of the challenges patients experience after getting new dentures, what you can do and when you need medical advice.

1. Pain and swelling after placement

Many patients will have some degree of pain and swelling after placement of new dentures. This should decrease after you heal and your mouth adjusts to the dentures. During the transition period, if you have too much pain/soreness/discomfort/swelling, you can talk to your dentist to see what interventions may be suitable for you.

Some patients need to have their bites adjusted as healing happens. This is because dentures may need to be fitted while there's residual swelling from the condition/trauma causing loss of natural teeth. In ideal circumstances, swelling should go down completely to get the right size of dentures, but this isn't always possible. In this case, your dentures will need adjustment as swelling decreases to ensure they fit your teeth properly.

Dentists advise taking out your dentures at night to relieve the gum tissue and allow it to rest. This can also allow you to sleep more comfortably until your mouth gets completely accustomed to the dentures. When you do, they should be properly brushed and flossed to prevent staining and plaque buildup and then stored in water or a denture rinse advised by your dentist.

2. Uncertainty with using adhesives

Dentists recommend waiting until the natural tooth extraction site is properly healed before applying denture adhesive. Application of adhesive is more comfortable after this period. If you need to take out your dentures several times a day (most adhesives usually indicate that they should be used once a day), talk to your dentist about the safety of using adhesive each time you put back the dentures.

You can also get an adhesive cream with benzocaine if you have soreness, but you must use it according to the directions. If you have soreness that continues for more than 2-3 days, schedule an emergency visit to your dentist, as you may need adjusting.

It also helps to investigate why you need to remove dentures several times a day. Do they fit properly? Are they shifting in the mouth? Shifting dentures can mean that the dentures are too big for your bite, in which case they need adjusting.

If you have soreness in spots, it could be for two reasons: Gums may get inflamed because of accumulation of bacteria due to improper cleaning or because dentures put unequal pressure on gums if you have an 'inaccurate bite'. All these are problems you can speak with your dentist about to prevent unnecessary pain. If you continue having issues or significant pain, something may be wrong with your dentures in which case you should seek out emergency denture repairs so you don't further detriment your oral health.

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30 August 2017