When you first begin to wear dentures, they may feel loose. Until you have learned to keep them in place with the muscles of your cheeks and tongue, they may tip when you chew, allowing food or liquids to pass under them.

No matter how thin the dentures are, they will feel bulky. They may make your tongue feel crowded or may cause a slight gagging sensation. Until your gum ridges are used to supporting dentures, your mouth may feel sore or irritated. Your saliva flow may also increase temporarily.

After a few weeks, as your oral tissues become adjusted to wearing dentures, these problems should decrease. If you continue to experience irritation or excessive soreness in any area, you should see your dentist.

APPEARANCE

When you first get dentures, your facial expression may seem different. A more normal expression will return when the muscles of your cheeks and lips adapt to the dentures.

Dentures may improve your appearance by changing the shape of your face, and reducing facial creases. Dentures teeth also will look straight, white, and healthy.

EATING

When you are first learning to use your dentures, it is best to eat soft foods. Cut your food into small pieces and chew slowly on both sides with your back teeth to keep your dentures from tipping. After a few days, when the dentures feel more comfortable, gradually try coarser and harder foods until you are able to eat a more normal diet. Avoid eating sticky or very hard foods until you have more experience with wearing dentures. Learning to chew properly takes practice.

Be cautious when eating. Remember that dentures now cover many of the surfaces of your mouth, so it will be more difficult for you to feel a burn from hot foods or a sharp bone.

SPEAKING

Sometimes, wearing dentures can make a difference in the way you pronounce certain words. To help overcome any speech difficulties, practice reading aloud. If the dentures teeth click together when you talk, speak more slowly. Bring any problems to your dentist’s attention at your checkup.

At first, you may find that your dentures become loose when you laugh, cough, or even smile. To reposition them, close your teeth together gently and swallow.

Follow your dentist’s advice on how long you should wear your dentures each day. You may be advised to wear your dentures most of the time for the first few days. This helps protect tooth extraction sites and helps the mouth tissue adjust to the dentures more rapidly. Also, if the dentures are left out of your mouth for long periods of time, any sore spots in your mouth may swell, making it difficult to reinsert the dentures.

After you have become accustomed to wearing dentures, however, your dentist may recommend that you take them out before going to bed at night, and put them in again in the morning. This gives your mouth tissues a chance to rest and helps maintain oral health.

CARING FOR YOUR MOUTH

Even with dentures, you still need to take care of your mouth. Each day before inserting your dentures, brush your gums, tongue and palate with a soft-bristled brush, to remove plaque and stimulate circulation.

Visit your dentist regularly-even if you no longer have any natural teeth-for a complete oral examination. Besides checking your dentures, the dentist will check for signs of oral cancer, and examine your gum ridges, tongue and jaw joints. If you suffer from dry mouth, technically termed xerostomia, artificial saliva may be prescribed. Your dentist will also look for signs of general diseases, including diabetes, that can show up in the mouth.

CARING FOR YOUR DENTURES

For a healthy mouth and fresh breath, clean plaque and food deposits from your dentures daily. This also helps keep the dentures from becoming permanently stained.

Dentures should be handled carefully! Dropping them-even a few inches into the sink-can break the dentures base or a tooth. When cleaning or inserting your dentures, hold them over a towel or a basin half-filled with water. And always keep your dentures out of reach of children and pets.

Before brushing your dentures, rinse them well to remove any loose particles. Next, apply your favorite denture cleaner to a moistened brush and clean all surfaces of the dentures. Brush thoroughly but carefully. Scrubbing too hard can damage the plastic parts of the denture or bend metal clasps.

Many special denture-cleaning agents are available-ask your dentist about them. Some people prefer to use hand soap, a mild dishwashing liquid or baking soda. Household cleaners and some toothpastes should not be used on your dentures because they are too abrasive. Do not leave dentures with metal parts in denture-cleaning solutions for longer than the instructions recommend; some cleaners may tarnish the metal. Never use bleach on your dentures.

Sometimes ultrasonic cleaners are used along with denture-cleaning solutions to remove stains more quickly. Although these devices can clean dentures slightly more effectively than soaking solutions alone, the dentures still must be brushed.

It is best to use a brush designed for cleaning dentures. These brushes clean more effectively, because their bristles are arranged to follow the shape of the dentures. A regular soft-bristled toothbrush is an alternative. Brushes with stiff bristles can damage the plastic denture material.

If dentures become dry, they may change shape. When you take your dentures out at night, place them in a container of denture-cleaning solution or water-ask your dentist which to use. Never put dentures in hot water, as they can warp.

Do not try to adjust or reline your dentures yourself. This can cause serious harm to your oral health. Improperly relined dentures may be bulky, which can cause pressure on the jaw and more rapid loss of jawbone. If the bony ridges of the jaw become too small, your present dentures will be useless and it will be far more difficult for your dentist to make new ones. Do-it-yourself reliners can also irritate the soft tissues of the mouth, causing sores.

If your dentures break, crack or chip, or if a denture tooth becomes loose, call your dentist immediately. Dentists can usually repair broken dentures, often on the same day. Using a do-it-yourself repair kit can damage the denture and may make it impossible to repair. It is almost impossible for someone without the proper training to align the broken parts of a denture correctly and over-the-counter glues often contain chemicals that can damage the plastic denture material and harm oral tissues.

LONG-TERM DENTURE SUCCESS

Although your dentures will keep their shape, your mouth continues to change. The bone and gum ridges that support your dentures can recede or shrink, causing your jaws to come closer together. If ridge shrinkage occurs, your dentures will begin to feel loose and less stable. Your ability to chew will decrease, and your face may acquire deep aging lines and wrinkles.

Prolonged use of ill-fitting dentures can irritate the gums, tongue and cheeks and cause the ridges of the mouth to shrink to the point where it will be almost impossible to fit them with normal dentures. Constant irritation can also lead to open sores and serious infections.

To prevent or correct these problems, you should see your dentist regularly. Only your dentist can determine what changes have taken place in your mouth and what should be done to correct the fit of your dentures.

Your success in wearing dentures depends on you. With a positive attitude, persistence and regular professional care, you can become one of the millions of people who wear dentures successfully.