Loose and ill-fitting dentures are a common complaint and this is something we see quite often amongst our patients with full dentures. It is a tricky problem to correct as your jawbone changes its shape quite significantly after natural teeth are extracted. This is simply a fact of nature as natural tooth roots provide essential stimulation to the jawbone, ensuring it stays strong and healthy and once they are removed the bone begins to reabsorb. As a result the ridge that used to support your natural teeth will become flatter and narrower, providing far less retention for a denture.
A denture that used to fit quite well can soon become loose and uncomfortable within just a few years. Loose dentures can rub painfully on the gums and make it tricky to eat. We also find that some people will avoid socialising, especially if it involves mealtimes due to fears about their dentures moving about. Denture adhesives are not a long-term solution and can be messy and expensive to use.
Possible Short-Term Solutions
One possible solution which we can try is to reline or remake your denture. When a denture is relined we add additional material to the fitting surface of the denture which will conform to the new shape of your jawbone. It is also possible that your denture could do with remaking entirely as they do need replacing every few years. However this doesn’t prevent the jawbone from continuing to change shape and our Southampton dentist may suggest you think about dental implants.
How Dental Implants Could Help You
Dental implants are not a new innovation as this technology has now been safely and very successfully used for decades. We think they are a great solution for retaining loose dentures in a way that is both affordable and comfortable. The nice thing about implant retained dentures is that often we only need to use just two or four dental implants to hold an entire lower denture in position. Lower dentures tend to be more problematic than upper dentures due to their horseshoe design that relies heavily on the bony ridge that used to support your teeth for retention.
With upper dentures you may need a couple more implants to hold them securely in place. However it can be really nice to replace an upper denture with an implant retained denture as it will be formed in a slightly different way. Instead of covering up your upper palate, your new denture can be constructed in a horseshoe design similar to your lower denture, so it will feel far less bulky and much more comfortable to wear. The upper palate also contains lots of taste buds, making mealtimes more pleasurable and of course you will find it much easier to eat with teeth that are held firmly in place.
An implant retained denture has special attachments on its fitting surface that clip firmly onto attachments on the dental implants, providing you with a feeling of stability you might have thought out of reach. There is also another solution which is to do away with your dentures altogether and to replace them with a fixed arch of teeth, although this does require a greater number of dental implants but would mean you could enjoy the sensation of having teeth that look and feel very natural.
If you are interested in finding out more about how to make your loose denture fit a little better or perhaps are interested in dental implant treatment then please contact Smilemakers to book your initial consultation with our dentist in Southampton. You can call us on 02380 442626 or if you prefer you can request a callback through our website on www.smilemakers.co.uk.
