Tips for New Denture Wearers

Dentures replace natural teeth lost to injury or disease. There are various types of complete dentures. Conventional full dentures are made and fitted after the remaining teeth are removed and tissues healed. On the other hand, an immediate complete denture is fitted beforehand and inserted as soon as remaining teeth are removed. The advantage of immediate dentures is that the denture wearer does not have to be without teeth during the healing period.

Acclimation Period

1. Getting used to new dentures can be difficult for some wearers. They can feel loose until muscles of the cheek and jaw become accustomed to them. Irritation and soreness can result, and eating can be hard at first. Additionally, speaking certain words can require practice. Because dentures can slip while laughing, talking or eating, wearers must learn to gently bite down and swallow while wearing them--all of which take practice.

Speaking

2. Because speaking can be difficult for some denture wearers, speech practice is advised for new wearers. Those with new dentures should read aloud as much as possible to learn to pronounce words correctly. Reading aloud can minimize the time required to recover normal speech patterns after getting new dentures.

Eating

3. Eating with dentures can be difficult at first. A soft diet is advised at first to keep pain to a minimum. Patients should cut food into small pieces and eat slowly, chew on both sides of the mouth, bite using the front teeth when possible, chew up and down rather than side to side, and avoid bringing the lower teeth forward against the upper teeth to cut foods.

Sore spots

4. New dentures almost always cause sore spots to develop; mild pain relievers and warm salt water gargles are recommended to help relieve pain and reduce inflammation. At night, dentures should be removed. This allows the soft tissues to breathe and recover. Additionally, this keeps the bones of the mouth in their usual places to ensure that the dentures are a good fit, and it also allows the dentures to soak in cleaning solution overnight for good oral hygiene.

Saliva

5. The body's response to new dentures can sometimes be increased saliva flow, which will eventually decrease over time. The brain needs time to adjust and realize that because dentures are not food, the digestion process does not need to begin with the formation of increased saliva. To keep saliva flow minimal, new denture wearers are advised to take the dentures out for a period of time, and taking small sips of water are also recommended.

Fun Facts

How many teeth does an average person have?
An average person has 32 teeth. That number includes 4 wisdom teeth. We have 8 incisors, 4 canines, 12 molars and 8 pre-molars.
What is the most popular toothpaste?
Colgate Total toothpaste is the best selling toothpaste in the United States.
You get 2 sets of teeth in your lifetime.
The first set is your baby teeth. You will start to lose your baby teeth at around 6-7 years of age. By the time your 21 years old, you will only have permanent teeth.
What are teeth made out of?
eeth are covered with a hard enamel called a crown. Inside of your tooth is you have dentine and the pulp of your tooth. Each tooth is attached to your jaw socket and has blood vessels and nerves. 2/3^rd of the length your tooth is in the gum.
How many people over 65 have all their teeth?
40% of people over 65 years of age do not have all of their teeth.
How much toothpaste is used in the United States every year?
they buy 14 million gallons of toothpaste every year!
Certain drugs will prevent you from being able to have teeth pulled. Did you know that if you have taken biophosphanates you cannot have your teeth pulled? Examples of some common biophosphanates are Fosamax, Actonel, and Zometa.
How much dental floss do we use?
An average American will use 14 inches of dental floss every year.

Flossed Facts

Commercial floss was first manufactured: 1882

Material it was first made of: silk

Newest material: Gore-tex

Amount bought per person: 18 yards

Amount that should be bought per person: 122 yards (figuring one foot a day)

Percent who say they floss daily: 28% (some are fibbing, according to the sales data above)

In 1994 a prison inmate in West Virginia braided floss into a rope, scaled the wall and escaped.

83% of people believe their teeth are more important to their appearance than hair and eyes

Oral piercing may cause different types of complication in the people. It puts a risk to the dental health of the people. Once oral piercing is done, the chances of infection also increase in the area which is pierced. Different kinds of bacteria always remain present in the mouth. When blood vessels present in the tongue are damaged due to piercing, they may bleed in excessive amounts. This may cause excessive loss of blood. Swelling usually occurs after oral piercing is done. It becomes difficult to heal the effects of piercing because tongue is used a lot for different functions. In some cases, swelling may cause hindrance to the breathing process. The risk of different blood borne disease like hepatitis C, B, D, G and tetanus also increases after oral piercing.

When people have barbells fitted in to their tongue they tend to tap it again and again on teeth and gums. This may lead to broken teeth and gum diseases. A large number of people who have oral piercing usually come up with some kind of infection in their gums. The infection which may be caused to the blood vessels which are connected to brain and other crucial parts of body, may even take one’s life. If you search the internet you can get to know about such cases. In case unsterile instruments are used for piercing the tongue, cheek or lips, it may cause HIV or AIDS. If you have to get oral piercing done then visiting a reputable clinic will be the best option.

Dental abscess is collection of pus in the tooth following any infection, and it can be within the tooth in the roots, near the gums, or in the alveolar bone which surrounds the tooth.

Causes:

1. Tooth decay – Tooth decay can be some infection due to micro organisms, which can decay the internal parts of the tooth like pulp, root etc. This tooth decay can be only within the tooth, or sometimes can spread to the underlying tissues like Gingiva, or the surrounding bone.
2. Foreign body – Any foreign body like food particles or bacteria which are trapped in the tissues can cause infection.
3. Injury – Trauma, means sudden injury to the tooth can cause dental abscess formation.

Symptoms:

1. Stimulated or non-stimulated pain. You feel pain sometimes when you are chewing food or sometimes when at rest.
2. Redness in the tissue where infection has occurred and accumulation of pus has occurred.
3. Foul tasting discharge within the mouth from the place where infection has occurred.
4. Rise of temperature at that particular place.
5. Foul breath.

Treatment of Dental Abscess:
Treatment of the abscess includes the removal of the source, then the reduction of symptoms. First, there should be drainage of the pus collected. If there is pus within the tooth in the roots, then Root canal treatment has to be done. And if its in the surrounding tissues, then incising and drainage of the pus should be done.
Antibiotics are administered for removal and destroying of bacteria that caused the infection, and Pain relievers/analgesics are administered for relief of pain due to the infection and inflammation.

Prevention:
There is no preventive measure as no one can be sure when the infection can occur, or injury. But still, its always advised to maintain good dental habits.

Pulp Polyp, also called as Chronic Hyperplastic Pulpitis, or Proliferative pulpitis is a productive pulpal inflammation due to extensive carious exposure of any young pulpal tissue. This is a type of irreversible pulpitis, which is chronic and usually asymptomatic in nature.
It is characterized by development of granulation tissue, covered by epithelium and it results from irritation for a long time.

Causes of Pulp Polyp

• Dental caries in young tooth where significant loss of tooth is seen.
• Fractured tooth, causing trauma to the pulpal tissues.
• Mechanical irritation from chewing, and bacterial irritation provides stimulus.

Symptoms of Pulp Polyp

• They are asymptomatic, and sometimes the masticatory stress can lead to some tenderness.
• Sometimes, localized bleeding may occur.
• The polyps cover the entire cavity by enlarging itself.

Diagnosis

• Appearance of Polypoid tissue – A fleshy, reddish mass fills most of the pulp chamber or extends beyond the tooth structure.
• Polypoid tissue is less responsive when compared to normal pulp tissue.
• Radiographs show a large, open cavity with direct access to the pulp chamber.
• Response is seen on electric pulp testing too.

Treatment

Removal of the polypoid tissue, followed by the extirpation of the pulp. When the pulpal mass is removed, bleeding can be controlled by application of pressure. Formocresol dressing is placed after the entire pulp is removed.

General Tips For Good Oral Health

Eat balanced food, that have minerals and vitamins

Avoid eating sweets or sticky food between meals.

Brush your teeth after every meal.

Use a good tooth paste and tooth brush.

Visit your dentist once in 6 months.

If your child has protruding or misaligned teeth, start orthodontic treatments early (9 years age), for better results.

Never put off meeting your dentist. Minor pain and sensitivity, if untreated can lead to major complications.

Make use of the wealth of information on this site to maintain healthy teeth!!