Don’t Make These Five Mistakes With Your Dentures
Dentures are still a very popular option for many. You’ve chosen to get them because the price point may be better than getting dental implants. But there are things that you need to know about the process before you do. Otherwise you run the risk of having to have a lot of extra work done.
Fortunately, they are fairly easy to follow, so if you’re forewarned, then you can avoid any hassle and from having to make extra trips to the dentist to fix things. Here are five mistakes that people often make with their dentures.
Not Allowing The Molding Process To Happen
Yes, having the gaps in your mouth can be very disconcerting. Talking and eating have been hard tasks for you for a while. Now you can have these dentures in your mouth and you’ll be good to go, right? No. Even though technology, especially with in-house dental labs, can shave the waiting time down by a significant margin, it will not be an instantaneous perfect fit.
You’re going to have to work with the dentist’s office. There are changes that happen in your mouth and that will result in some fine-tuning. It may feel like it’s time-consuming, but it’s really for the best. Otherwise you can wind up with ill-fitting dentures that will ultimately irritate your gums and even possibly wind up cutting them, which could lead to infection. By making sure that everything is done right, you can save yourself the aggravation.
Ignoring Oral Hygiene When Waiting For Dentures
You have missing teeth. Why brush the area while the dentures are being made? It’s not like there’s anything to worry about right? Not true. If you leave that area alone, then bacteria can form and then begin breeding. Then that bacteria can lurk underneath the dentures when they are fitted. That’s a recipe for disaster, since it can lead to infection.
So, take no chances. Brush both your remaining teeth and the spaces between. It will also clear any remaining food particles that might be lurking. Otherwise, you also leave open the possibility that other teeth might wind up becoming decayed… and if you wanted support teeth for partial dentures, then that might become a non-starter. It’s important to not lose sight of your oral hygiene needs.
Not Soaking Your Dentures Nightly
This is one where it’s really easy to get off track. You have one of those nights where you are just exhausted and just want to crawl into bed. Forget about doing that nightly denture soak. It’s a pain to find the denture solution, fill up the cup and put in the dentures. It’s not going to hurt to just put them on your nightstand and drift off to sleep, right? Wrong.
If you don’t do this, then you run the risk of two things happening. One – your dentures will get dry and brittle. That is not a good thing. Second – bacteria can form on the dentures. That will create an unhygienic scenario when you put them back in your mouth the next day. The denture-soaking solution acts not only to keep the dentures from drying out, they also keep them sterile. Ignoring this will lead you back to the dentist’s office.
Doing Ill-Advised Things With Your Dentures
It’s one thing to brush your dentures and then soak them overnight. It’s another to make sure that you’re doing everything right and not trying to do something that is not dentist-approved. For example, if you’re not happy with the color of the teeth, don’t try to bleach them to be whiter. This can seriously undermine the integrity of the structure of the dentures. If you feel your dentures are too stained, your dentist may even make you a new set.
Not Making Regular Dental Visits
Getting dentures does not absolve you from having to keep up regular dental visits. Some may reason that since the teeth aren’t real, that means they don’t need to be examined. The truth is, many things can happen to the dentures, ranging from their shifting due to the changing structure of your jaw or become ill-fitting, which can result in cut or infected gums.
Regularly seeing your dentist can prevent a lot of problems or catch them before they even become bad. They can examine the dentures and make sure that they have not warped due to improper maintenance. Your dentures may need to be re-fitted or re-lined… and you will probably need a new set every 10 years.
Getting dentures doesn’t have to be a scary thing. Paying attention to the above things can ensure that you have a smooth time getting used to them. Then you can go about doing the talking and most of the same eating that you did beforehand.
When it comes to dentures, the staff at Hagerstown Dentist are experienced at making sure that their patients have no problems getting used to the whole process. You can make an appointment by calling their Hagerstown (301-200-9585) office to make an appointment.
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Hagerstown Dentist
Hagerstown Location
1303 Pennsylvania Ave.
Hagerstown, MD 21740
Phone: (301) 200-9585
