Dentures in Dawsonville, GA

It can take up to a month to adjust to new dentures. In the meantime, it’s normal to experience discomfort, soreness, excess salivation, difficulty chewing, and difficulty pronouncing certain signs. 

Rinse your mouth with saltwater solutions and take anti-inflammatory pain medication to reduce pain and discomfort. Suck on hard candy to increase swallowing and practice pronouncing certain sounds with your dentures. Over time, these problems will subside as your body becomes used to detecting a foreign object in your mouth.

You should wear your dentures anywhere from 6 to 8 hours every day. Keeping dentures for more than 8 hours daily can promote jawbone loss. Remember, chewing with your natural teeth stimulates the production of new cells to replace lost ones. This is impossible if you wear your dentures 24/7. You can also remove your dentures when you want to eat or brush and floss your teeth. 

It’s worth noting that wearing your dentures for too long also increases the risk of gum disease and oral thrush. Oral thrush describes the accumulation of oral candidiasis, a type of fungus, in the mouth causing white lesions on the tongue and cheek.

Caring for dentures is pretty simple. All you have to do is remove and rinse them with clean water after eating. Also, brush your teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush and rinse your mouth with anti-bacterial mouthwash after every meal. 

Don’t forget to brush your dentures at least twice daily and soak them in water or a denture-cleaning solution at night. Doing so helps keep them pliable, making it harder for them to crack. 

At the same time, handle your dentures carefully and avoid dropping them on the floor, or you might bend the clasps or plastic and ruin their fit. Lastly, avoid using abrasive toothpaste on your dentures to avoid scratching their surface. Scratched denture surfaces are a breeding ground for bacteria.

Dentures last for 5 to 7 years, after which they require replacement. The continuous use of dentures causes wear and tear, leading to discomfort and cracks. Unfortunately, failing to replace your dentures can lead to loose-fitting dentures that damage your gums. 

Some telltale signs you need to replace your dentures include visible damage on the dentures, loose dentures that move when you eat or speak, and excessively stained dentures. You might also have to replace your dentures if they cause pain and discomfort or don’t fit well in your mouth.

Dentures will likely alter your eating habits. For instance, you might have to avoid foods that are difficult to chew, like steak. You’ll also have to drop foods that require pressure to bite down on, like nuts, apples, and carrots. The same goes for sticky food like caramel and toffee that may cling to your dentures. People with dentures might have to stick to softer, processed foods. 

Unfortunately, processed foods are typically high in sugar, fat, and chemical preservatives, posing a serious health risk to people with dentures. However, you can always find recipes for healthy and nutritious meals like salads, scrambled eggs, and mashed potatoes that your dentures can handle.