Dentures - Understanding Your Dentures

Many people wrongly believe that their ability to eat foods such as apples and corn-on-the-cob etc..will remain unaffected when they lost their natural teeth and become denture wearers. Unfortunately, fulfilling such expectations with dentures is difficult at best and faced with an unfavourable mouth, often impossible. After all, your natural teeth were anchored in bone, your dentures are only seated on top of your gums.

In order to prevent disappointment and temper unrealistic expectations, it is necesssary to understand a little, why making successful dentures is recognised as one of the most difficult tasks in dentistry.

Gum Shrinkage

When natural teeth are lost, all that remains are the bony ridges which once held the roots of the teeth. It is on those ridges that the denture must rest. All mouth change, for some only a little, for others unfortunately a lot. This shrinkage is known as resorbtion or atrophy (wasting of the bone). It is an inevitable process that begins with tooth loss and continues throughout life. It is also a highly variable process, and is the main reason why some people have difficulty wearing dentures.

Ridge Shapes

Because of these changes, the ridges alter in shape, size and alignment to each other. Some ridges are square or rounded in shape (cross section) with smooth regular surfaces. These are generally the most favourable, such as the flat or small v-shaped ridges which offer little or no denture support. Also sharp bony irregular surfaces, or soft fleshy mouths offer poor support for dentures, and are often associated with painful dentures! The palate shape also influences the fit and suction of the upper denture. The square or rounded sections being more favourable than the small flat or deep v-shaped palates.

Lower Denture Problems

Most complaints about dentures usually concern the lower denture. This is mainly because the lower denture has to operate in a much more mobile environment within the lower jaw, where a complexity of muscle movement (created by the cheeks, lips and tongue, when eating and speaking etc) will have a tendency to displace the denture.

Also the lower ridge is much smaller than the upper and does not have the benefit of a palate to help with balance and suction. It is also prone to excessive shrinkage, up to four times greater than the upper ridge. As this ridge reduces in size, so the total denture support area also diminishes, causing the lower denture to move about much more. During chewing, this would allow food to find its way underneath the denture.

It must be understood that muscles and muscle action are important in every phase of denture use. Patients who wear dentures successfully, do so because they have learned to control them with their lips cheeks and tongue. The development of this skill is essential for the effective use of dentures (especially for people who lack a good fit due to a poor ridge shape).

What are dentures made of ?

Dentures are made of porcelain or plastic teeth specially selected for size, shape and colour to conform to your facial characteristics. A plastic or metal base usually holds together and supports these teeth on your gums. (The better quality teeth and bases not only look more natural, they are also more hard wearing - please ask for more information).

How long should a denture last?

You should never consider your first set of dentures the only set. Many people believe their dentures should last forever, but this is not so. Generally a denture should be reviewed every 4 or 5 years for adjustment or replacement.

Apart from being worn down by continually cleaning, a denture base will not appreciably alter in shape, but the supporting tissue is actually changing all the time. Even when your dentures feel quite comfortable, they should be inspected regularly to ensure no permanant damage is being done.