New complete denture wearers often have the following concerns:
Full feeling: When new dentures are first placed in the mouth, the patient may perceive a feeling of fullness or a lack of adequate space for the tongue. This is particularly true for patients that have been without natural teeth or prosthetic replacements for extended periods. The bulky feeling of the new denture should subside after a short time. The individual may also experience this full sensation with facial tissues, lips, and cheeks. The new denture typically helps regain the facial tissue support that was lost due to missing teeth. The facial tissues adapt rapidly to their new support system, which improves comfort and appearance.
Speech difficulty: The sounds we produce during normal conversation are greatly influenced by the position and contours of the face’s oral structures, including teeth. With a new denture, the patient must adjust to subtle alterations in tooth position and denture base shape. These minor changes in speech sounds are usually more noticeable to the patient than others and are only temporary. During this short period of accommodation, the patient should try to speak slowly and clearly, pronouncing words very precisely. The tongue and facial muscles will quickly adapt. Reading out loud may help.
Sore spots and irritations: Localized and frequently painful sore spots may develop following the placement of a new complete denture. This requires careful adjustments to be made to the dentures, minor grinding on the pink denture plastic around the sore spot, or precise adjustment of the contacts between opposing denture teeth. When sore spots occur, the patient must inform the dentists as soon as possible to have the appropriate correction made.
Chewing patterns: The patient must adjust to the precise jaw movements required to effectively chew food. This may take several weeks. The re-learning process should begin with small pieces of soft food, gradually increasing the food’s firmness over time. Denture stability during chewing generally improves if the food is chewed on both sides of the mouth at the same time using only the back teeth. Using the front teeth to cut through food typically causes the dentures to loosen and move away from the gums. Front teeth are considered primarily for appearance and speech.
Psychological wellbeing: A denture patient needs to take control of their situation and keep a positive attitude for optimal results. Working closely with the dentists is essential to successfully adapt to new complete dentures!
Complete dentures may not be a perfect replacement for natural teeth but they have been proven to restore the patient’s ability to comfortably smile, chew, swallow, and speak, which significantly improve their quality of life. For patients with reasonable expectations, they can get used to complete dentures in a relatively short time. Patients must practice with their new teeth and learn the limitations and compensations needed to achieve successful adaptation.
