How to Troubleshoot Dentures

Dentures are precise, prosthetic dental appliances made by a dentist in conjunction with a laboratory. Because dentures replace natural teeth, there will always be a period of adjustment as the patient gets used to them, whether he has worn dentures before, or this is the first time. There are, however, factors that cause the fit of a denture to change: a loss or gain of weight of more than 10 pounds, and the natural changing of the bone and gum tissues under the denture where the teeth used to be. Denture adjustments and troubleshooting should never be done at home.

Instructions

Trobleshooting a Bite That Is Too High

• 1

  Schedule and appointment with the dentist. Often with dentures, especially new dentures, the bite can be off a bit, causing one area of one tooth or teeth to hit the opposing teeth first, before the rest of the teeth come together. This can cause pain in the tissue underneath the denture.

• 2

  Attend the dental appointment. Explain to the dentist where the bite is high, and show him any sore spots under the denture where the teeth hitting prematurely have caused pain.

• 3

  Bite into the carbon paper strip the dentist will put between the denture teeth in your mouth. When the carbon paper is bitten on, any high spots will show up on the teeth as dark blue markings; this tells the dentist where to shave acrylic off to make the bite more even. This may be repeated several times before it is perfect. After it is correct, he will polish the areas worked on to make sure there are no rough or sharp edges.

Troubleshooting Sore Spots

• 4

  Schedule an appointment with the dentist if you are experiencing "sore spots," which are open wounds under the denture, worn into the tissue, usually over bone from areas in the denture where the acrylic is too thick.

• 5

  Attend the appointment with the dentist. Allow the dentist to remove the denture himself and then put it back in. He will likely do this several times trying to visually locate the areas that are rubbing the gums into sore spots. He way also use a spray that is usually blue on the inside of the denture. This spray will be displaced by the sore spots when the denture is put back into the mouth, guiding the dentist to exactly where the acrylic is too thick.

• 6

  Allow the dentist to adjust out the areas that are too thick in the acrylic; these spots are why patients get sore spots. Sore spots can be severe, often wearing the tissue away and exposing bone. They can cause extreme discomfort and should never be adjusted at home. Removing too much acrylic from the inside of the denture can affect its fit.

Troubleshooting a Gag Reflex

• 7

  Schedule an appointment for the dentist to check the soft palate part of the denture. An upper denture relies on some of the soft palate to help retain the denture with suction. Some patients have extraordinarily sensitive gag reflexes that the denture irritates.

• 8

  Attend the appointment that was scheduled for the dentist to troubleshoot the soft palate. Often the acrylic is too thick on the outside, necessitating adjustment by the dentist. He will not touch the inside of the denture, as this is where the suction connection that helps hold the denture in place is located.

• 9

  Allow the dentist to adjust the outside of the part of the denture that fits into the palate. It is likely that the end of the denture extends just that much too far into the palate, triggering the gag reflex. He will adjust a little at a time, and often it may require a second appointment so he is able to stay on top of the fit. Often, once he adjusts and polishes the palate part of the denture and the patient wears it a day or two, it needs no more adjustment. The palate should never be adjusted at home. It is vital to the fit of the denture, and too much adjustment would render the denture useless. It would literally fall out of the mouth.

Troubleshooting a Loose Denture

• 10

  Schedule an appointment with the dentist for him to assess the need for a reline of a denture that is loose. Over-the-counter adhesives are secondary to a good fit on the denture. If the denture has loosened over time, this is a natural occurrence, as the gum and bone continue to shrink under the denture as time goes by. The dentist will likely determine that the denture needs to be relined, in essence filling the new gaps between your gums and the denture with new acrylic.

• 11

  Attend the dental appointment and allow the dentist to evaluate the denture for a reline. A reline is a same-day procedure if done in the morning. He will use the denture as an impression tray, take an impression of the bone as it is today and then send it off to a dental lab for the acrylic to be added inside the denture.

• 12

  Return to the dental office later in the day for the dentist to give you the newly relined denture and to check the fit. You will find that this procedure makes the denture fit much better, and it is harder to take out when you want it out. This indicates a good suction and a good-fitting denture. Reline materials are sold in drug stores, but they are not proper and should not be used. Only a proper reline procedure in a dental office will achieve the results you want.