Adjusting to New Dentures

Problems With New Dentures

Bone Spurs to Problems eating, new dentures can hurt

• 1Eating - This was what one person stated how they managed to learn to eat with their new dentures. "Right side works better than the left and mashing it against the roof with my tongue helped too."
• 2Eating - "you don't grind your teeth anymore, it's more of an up/down - up/down, pulverizing of the food." You might have problems even with soft foods if your new teeth aren't aligned right. Everyone is different, and each person will learn to eat at a different time line. Just keep practicing, and go slow. Soft foods first, then small bites to learn how to chew and swallow.
• 3Talking - You will often hear a lisp when talking and your speech is likely to be slurred. You might notice a whistling sound when you are pronouncing certain words. Keep practicing talking so your tongue and jaw gets used to the new dentures.
• 4Drinking - Don't swish liquids in your mouth as it could loosen your new teeth. The first couple days you will be getting used to drinking and the feel it has on your dentures. Coffee and Tea will stain your dentures the same as they stained your natural teeth.
• 5Bone Spurs - these are areas of your gums where a piece of bone sticks out, or is close to the surface of the gums. When your dentures rub against these bone spurs it can be quite painful, sometimes to the point of not wanting to wear your dentures. If this happens, call your dentist and make an appointment to see how they can fix your dentures to compensate for the bone spurs. One thing to note is the bone spurs usually disappear on their own, but often times not fast enough to help alleviate the pain.
• 6Slipping or sliding dentures - As we age, and especially if we don't have any of our natural teeth left, our gums change. They shrink a bit each year which can have a big effect on our dentures, making them slip and slide. This slipping and sliding can cause sores too.
• 7 Feeling Depressed During Adjustment Period - Many people feel depressed when they realize that dentures are not the magic new teeth they thought they would be. Some people can't wear dentures at all for various reasons, and the rest of us go through a learning process that can last much longer than we'd like, from months to years. Depression happens to a lot of people when they realize that you can't just put these new false teeth into their mouth and expect them to be the same as their natural teeth were.
• 8Time - I don't know about anyone else, but I find it takes me longer to take care of my oral health now that I have dentures than it did with my natural teeth! Not only do I have to clean the dentures (while being careful not to drop them), but then I have to still brush the gums and inside of my mouth. This doesn't even count the time it takes to get the adhesive onto the teeth, which of course I am sure will lessen with time and experience.