Five Signs Your Dentures May Need to be Repaired or Replaced

 

Like so many methods, resources and products involved in dentistry, dentures in Waterloo have come a long way in recent years. (Somewhere way back in the corner of our mind, we’re hearing an old car commercial jingle that went something like: “Not your grandfather’s Oldsmobile.”) If your grandparents wore dentures, you might have heard a lot about the problems they had with them. But your grandparents would be surprised and impressfed by denture options available to solve tooth loss today.

New materials, technologies and treatment methods mean that dentures from a clinic near you are highly effective solutions for tooth loss. Dentures don’t offer the stability and lifespan of dental implants, but they can replace the function and appearance of your missing natural teeth for up to a decade. That’s an important point because, unlike implants, dentures will not last forever. Over time, the way that your dentures fit and perform will change as your gums and jaw change.

Dentures should typically be replaced if they are more than five to eight years old. At every dental checkup while you wear dentures, the dentist and hygienist at a dental clinic near you will examine your dentures and gums carefully to alert you when your dentures need repairs or replacement. So that you don’t have to rely entirely on your dentist, though, here are signs to watch for to determine for yourself when dentures need to be repaired or replaced.

There are broken teeth in your dentures

The material used to make the artificial teeth in your dentures is strong, but vulnerable at the same time. Those teeth can be broken. Silly as it might seem, one of the biggest culprits that produce broken teeth is dropping your dentures into an empty sink or hard floor while trying to clean them. (While we’re on the topic, here are two tips for preventing this. Always clean your dentures over a full sink of water or over a towel.) However it happens, if any of your teeth are broken — entirely or just chipped or cracked — don’t try and fix them yourselves. Take them to a dentist in Waterloo to arrange for repairs or, if the damage is worse than you realize, If any of the teeth in your dentures are broken, don’t try to repair them yourself, but take them to a dentist in Waterloo who will arrange to have them repaired or, if the damage is worse than it seems at first glance, replaced.

Your dentures aren’t fitting properly

When you first obtained your dentures near you and finished getting used to wearing them, they fit perfectly (or should have). Because wearing dentures in your mouth is nothing like keeping dentures on a shelf, though, the way those dentures fit will naturally change over time. As you live without natural teeth and tooth roots, the shape and size of your gums and jaw will change. At the same time, the surface of the dentures that meets those gums will also change with gradual wear and tear. The combination of those changes will affect the fit and can produce looseness and sensations of slipperiness. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the dentures need to be replaced, but they should be assessed to see if they need to be relined.

You’ve lost significant weight lately

If you’ve lost a significant amount of weight, the volume and shape of your gum tissue are even more likely to have changed than simply by the passage of time. As your gums shrink as your weight drops, your dentures will fit increasingly poorly. Whether you’ve noticed problems with your dentures or not, take your dentures in Waterloo to a dentist for an inspection and, if necessary, relining if you’ve lost anything more than approximately 20 pounds.

Your gums are irritated or have sores

If your gums were sore in the first days and weeks of wearing dentures, that does not mean that they need to be replaced. It just means you need to keep getting used to your new dentures. If, soreness or sores return after you finally get used to your dentures and bid adieu to soreness, those new issues may be the sign of a problem. If your gums are suddenly sore again or if you suddenly see new sores, have a dentist examine your dentures carefully.

Your pronunciation and ability to speak clearly has changed

Do you remember when you first started wearing your dentures? You probably noticed changes to the way you pronounced words and even changes to the way words sounded. As you got used to speaking with dentures, those problems thankfully disappeared. If — as we mentioned in terms of sores and soreness — speaking problems emerge or you think the sounds of your words have changed again, ask your dentist to see if your dentures are fitting properly or require relining or replacement.