Monday, January 11, 2010

Why You Need Denture Relinement

New dentures are made to fit your mouth. Over time, however, the tissues in your mouth shift and you will need to have your dentures adjusted. This process is called denture relinement.

Adjustment
New dentures frequently require adjustment to relieve the sore spots that can develop in your mouth. It takes your mouth tissues some getting used to the new plastic prosthesis now functioning as teeth replacements. These adjustments can usually be made in our office. Just call us for an appointment.

Denture Relinement
Dentures have to be relined to compensate for the change in fit that will occur over time. The main reason that this change in fit occurs is because the bone in your jaw continually shrinks when you are missing your natural teeth. It is a statistical fact that during the first three years you will probably lose 40%-60% of your jawbone.

On top of this, certain habits like sleeping with your dentures in and clenching your jaw will accelerate this shrinkage. If you lose or gain weight, this also will change the contours of your gums.

What all these changes mean for you is that several months after you have received your new dentures, you will need denture relinement to regain the original fit.

Denture Replacement
Denture relinement is not a permanent solution to the problem of deteriorating jawbone mass. As your mouth continues to change, your original dentures simply do not fit any more. In many ways, this is like outgrowing an old set of clothes. You have to get new ones.

Every 5-10 years, your mouth will have changed so much by that time that you will have to have your dentist make new dentures for you. Sometimes we can take the actual denture teeth and simply transfer them to a new denture base. This can save you some money if we are able to do it.

In other instances, however, the teeth will have worn so much by that time that we will simply have to make an entirely new set of dentures for you.

You will realize that you need denture replacement when any of the following occurs:

• You get a denture relinement and it does not improve the fit.
• Your mouth feels constantly irritated or sore.
• You notice the appearance of your face changing.
• You have trouble chewing certain foods.
• Your dentures fall out when you talk or laugh
• Your denture teeth become worn.
• Your denture breaks.
• You start having headaches or feeling pain in your jaw joints or neck.

The Importance of Good Denture Fit
You need dentures that fit will because loose or badly-fitting dentures can cause sores, mouth infections, and excess scar tissue in the mouth. If your dentures fit poorly they will make it harder for you to chew and will alter how your jaw muscles and jaw joints function.

A denture relinement or denture replacement is needed to improve the comfort and appearance of your denture.

Regular denture care will help keep your dentures looking good and working well.

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