Complete Dentures
Post-Operative Care
We have done our best to provide you with well-fitted, functional, and esthetically pleasing dentures. We feel confident that after a few weeks of becoming adjusted to the new dentures, you will have years of satisfaction and use from them.
The following information will be helpful to you:
- The First Few Weeks: New dentures always feel strange when first placed in your mouth. Several days or even a few weeks will be required for you to feel accustomed to them.
- Sore Spots: Usually your mouth will have a few “sore spots” after wearing the dentures for 24 hours. Don’t worry about these areas. They can be relieved during your next appointment. Another appointment about 7 days later will usually eliminate any other sore areas.
- Chewinq: The new bite may not feel completely comfortable for a period of days. We will adjust the contacting surfaces of your teeth in 24 hours and again about one week after the dentures have settled into place.
- Upper vs. Lower Dentures: Your upper denture will rest comfortably in place with moderate to strong “suction”. Although your lower denture will have good stability, it is infrequent that “suction” can be expected on a lower denture. However, we suggest you avoid denture adhesives unless you have significant difficulty because they alter the fit of the denture over a period of time.
- Cleaning the Dentures and Your Mouth: Your dentures can be cleaned by using a soft bristle toothbrush and mild toothpaste, such as “Complete” (Procter & Gamble). Denture soaks are also useful for the denture. Brush your gums with a regular toothbrush once per day to toughen and clean them. Leave the dentures out of your mouth at night to let the tissues rest. We suggest you leave them soaking in water to avoid warping.
- The Future: Your jawbones and gums shrink up to 1/32 of an inch per year after your teeth are extracted. This shrinkage is one of the main disadvantages of artificial dentures. Because of this shrinkage, you should plan to have your dentures and oral tissues evaluated once every 6 months by us. We will inform you when refitting of the dentures is necessary. Wearing ill-fitting dentures for too long without refitting can cause severe bone loss and serious oral diseases.
If you have any questions, please call our office.