Dental Dentist

There are several dental care procedures that are used for replacing missing tooth/teeth. Denture is one such procedure. Basically there are three types of dentures that one can opt for- Partial Dentures, Over-dentures, and Complete Dentures. Of the three, Complete Dentures are the most commonly used.

Complete dentures are used by patients who have lost all their teeth. Though nothing can replace your natural teeth in terms of quality, complete dentures are the next best option. Besides helping you chew your food, dentures prevent your facial muscles from sagging.

If you are opting for complete dentures, you should keep in mind that sometimes they can cause pain and discomfort. Dentures are most likely to cause discomfort in the initial stage of adjustment and after some years of use. During the initial stage your dentures will try to adjust to your gum structure and this can cause pain and discomfort. After some years the bony ridge of your gums will shrink due to lack of stimulation. Your dentures will then become uncomfortable.

Tips To Avoid Discomfort

However, one does not have to suffer from discomfort and pain associated with dentures. With these helpful tips you can avoid most of the problems associated with dentures-

• Always keep your dentures clean, especially during the adjustment period. Clean dentures minimize the chances of bacterial presence, thereby helping the healing process. Once your gums have healed your dentures will fit beautifully. You can clean your dentures using toothpaste, soap, or clean water.
• Keep your gums clean to keep bacteria away. Brushing is a good way to provide stimulation to your gums to keep them healthy.
• In the adjustment stage, only eat soft foods. This will help the healing process. Once the dentures have adjusted you can go back to eating what you were eating before, though you should avoid chewing hard food, like apples and corn on the cob.
• If your dentures are causing pain, you can take some pain killers to get rid of the pain. Acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen are some of the painkillers that you can opt for.
• In the adjustment stage dentures often cause soreness. A great way of relieving gum soreness is by removing your dentures for a couple of hours everyday. If the sores still do not go away, visit your dentist.
• Salt water rinse can work magic for your gums. This is a great way of keeping bacteria at bay.
• If you need to make some adjustments, let your dentist handle it. Never do any sort of adjustments yourself as you might end up harming yourself.
• Remember to always take off your dentures when you go off to sleep. This will give your gums some rest.

With these helpful tips you can keep pain and discomfort to the minimum and enjoy your dentures.