INSTRUCTIONS AFTER complete denture insertion

Complete Dentures – Instructions for Patients

• After wearing the denture, patients should not chew for the first two days (48 hours),  but should wear it for the maximum period of time, in order to get used to it. During this period, patients should read aloud or talk wearing the denture.
• After 48 hours, they can have soft food like softened bread, idlis etc.
• For the first two to three months, avoid sticky food as it may cause displacement of the denture while chewing.
• Chewing should be done on both sides simultaneously with the back teeth (molars) & never on one side alone. Chewing with the front teeth should be avoided, as dentures will tend to lift up in such situations. Chewing  should be carried out only in an opening and closing manner initially. Side to side chewing movements may not be possible initially.
• Increased salivation may be seen initially after wearing of dentures. Diabetic patients may complain of dry mouth problems. In such situations, wetting the mouth frequently may help.
• Since the palate is covered, patients may not be able to feel hot and cold sensations. Hence, it is necessary to check the warmth of the food taken to prevent burns in the mouth.
• While coughing and sneezing, cover the mouth with your hand.
• Denture care:  Cleaning should be done with a mild soap and brush. Whenever possible, use a washbasin, so that any accidental fall of denture can be avoided. Never use hot water for washing (temperature should never go above 50 degrees C). Once in 15 days, denture cleansing tablets or powder may be used. At night, put the denture in an enclosed container with clean water.  Dentures should not be worn for at least 6-8 hours to provide the mouth enough rest.
• Mouth ulcerations occur commonly during the first few days after wearing the denture. This may be compared to skin irritations occurring while wearing a new set of footwear. Warm saline rinses and massaging the gums help in such situations.
• Never try to trim or sandpaper any sharp areas of the dentures yourselves.
• In cases where ridge resorption (decreased height of the gums supporting the denture) has taken place, retention will be less (denture may get displaced frequently). In such situations, it will take some time for the patient to get adjusted to the dentures.
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Patients normally look forward to the day when they will receive their new dentures. They are happy about the prospect that former dental problems will soon be over. Then, the day arrives when the new dentures are inserted and they are frequently shocked that new arrays of dental problems are just beginning. In order to receive the maximum possible service and satisfaction from new dentures, the patient must understand certain relevant and pertinent facts--whether they have previously worn dentures or not. Many misconceptions and erroneous ideas exist concerning the use and care of complete dentures.

*No prosthesis or artificial substitute, regardless of how painstakingly fabricated, will ever function as efficiently as the original living tissues. Research has shown that the chewing efficiency of experienced denture patients is, at best, less than twenty percent that of the average chewing efficiency of patients with natural teeth.

*Positive attitude:  Your mental attitude and adaptability are of utmost importance in learning to use new dentures. Do not expect too much from them, especially at first. The dentist can only provide the denture treatment and then advise you. You must have the patience and perseverance to learn to use the dentures. Please communicate wholeheartedly with your dentist so that he is able to solve the problems, which you tend to face.

*Learning New Skills - Just as learning to swim, or skate, or ski, or ride a bicycle can be traumatic experiences, so it may be in learning to use new dentures. These are all physical skills that must be learned and no one is an expert in the beginning. The length of time required to learn to use dentures varies and depends on many factors such as age, general health, nutrition, muscle tone, tissue condition, coordination and mental attitude. Since no two patients are exactly alike, all patients cannot expect the same degree of skill or success in using dentures.

*Erroneous Advice- Please beware of relatives and friends who are denture wearers. Most denture wearers consider themselves experts on the subject and are eager to give you advice based on their experiences. Such advice can be inaccurate and harmful to you. Seek the advice of only an expert, your dentist, who has the training and experience to treat your specific problems.

 

The First Few Days

For the first day after receiving new dentures you should expect only to be able to keep the dentures in your mouth. Chewing should be limited to soft foods and the dentures should be worn all night the first night only. You may have to return to the doctor for an adjustment appointment the next day. Movement of the dentures during function sometimes causes red spots to develop during the first 24 hours, which could become painful denture ulcers, if not treated.

Some patients experience an initial abundance of saliva, which is stimulated by the presence of the new dentures. Soon the salivary glands will adjust to the presence of the dentures and resume their normal production. Until then, you should simply swallow more frequently.

Occasionally, patients experience a gagging sensation when they first begin to wear dentures. Gagging is a reaction that will gradually disappear as the dentures are worn. Do not insist that the upper denture is too long. Anatomic landmarks determine the exact length of the denture and the seal or suction will be destroyed if the denture is shortened. If this problem occurs, you may discuss with your doctor, but remember this is a problem that you must largely overcome through perseverance.

Frequently patients have the sensation that the tongue is too confined and interferes with the stability of the lower denture. This is particularly true if the back teeth have been missing a long time or if a previous denture was not extended properly below the tongue. In these situations, the tongue muscle can lose its tone and become wider and flattened, filling the space of the missing teeth. As the new denture is worn, the tongue will regain its muscle tone and become narrower and more rounded. The dentist may think the tongue sides of the denture to help this problem.

 

Denture Adjustments

Denture irritations or sore spots will invariably develop and will require adjustment by the dentist. Movement of the dentures causes these irritations during function. Time is available each week for such appointments, so please call and reserve a time if problems develop. Never attempt to adjust or repair a denture yourself. If an area is particularly sore, leave the denture out as much as possible until the day of the adjustment appointment and rinse your mouth frequently with warm salt-water rinses.

Difficulty in speaking is another hurdle, which must be overcome with patience and practice. Speech patterns will improve only after the tissues of the mouth become accustomed to the new dentures and control of the lower denture is learned. If you watch yourself in a mirror and say the sounds that give you trouble, this sometimes helps the speech "computer" adapt to the new dentures.

 

Mastication (Chewing)

The greatest problem by far is relearning to eat. Eating with complete dentures is quite different from eating with natural teeth. Natural teeth are embedded in bone and have individual sensory nerves capable of sensing pain, pressure and temperature. A denture, however, functions as a single tooth, is anchored to nothing, feels nothing, and rests on soft, movable tissues covering the jawbones. Moreover, the dentures rest on soft tissues of the mouth, which are very delicate and sensitive.

If a denture is to remain stable during chewing, the forces of chewing must be distributed uniformly over the denture bearing surfaces. Forces applied to only one side of the denture will compress the tissue under that side, while tipping the other side away from the tissue and breaking the seal. Although some patients are proud of the fact that they can take bites out of such things as apples and corn-on-the-cob, it must be pointed out that dentures were never intended for biting things off with the front teeth. A denture is like a canoe–if you stand up in the front of a canoe, it will tend to upset. The long term result of this practice is damage to the underlying bone.

One solution to the problem of chewing with complete dentures is learning to chew simultaneously on both sides. Brittle foods such as saltine crackers may offer good practice. Place half a small cracker on one side and half on the other side. Attempt to chew slowly and thoroughly and then swallow. At first, this two-sided chewing may seem difficult because we tend to chew on one side only with natural teeth. Two-sided chewing can be learned and it is probably better to chew on both sides at once with complete dentures.

Get in the habit early, especially in social situations, of selecting foods which can be placed on the back teeth. Methodically chew on both sides at once until it can be swallowed. Gradually, this process will become natural and rarely will anyone be aware of your denture limitations-unless you call attention to them yourself. Some patients find that the use of commercial denture adhesives are helpful during this learning period and they often become accustomed to the confidence provided by the additional adhesion.

 

Healthy Diet

Certain foods are often avoided by denture patients, i.e., tough fibrous meats, tough breads and hard rolls. Tiny, hard particles that cannot be softened by saliva can be extremely painful if they get under the dentures. Examples are strawberry and raspberry seeds and particles of nuts and carrots. Sticky substances such as chewing gum and caramels can stick to the dentures and should be avoided.

Proper nutrition and fluid balance are important to both your general health and to your success in wearing dentures. Taking a daily multiple vitamins is recommended. Avoid the usual tendency to indulge in soft carbohydrates (sweets) that are high in calories and low in food value. A well balanced diet should contain some daily portion of the following types of foods: low fat milk, cheese, bread, cereals, meats (especially fish or fowl), green and yellow vegetables, fruits and water (2 quarts per day).

Above all, wear the dentures at mealtime despite the difficulties. Do not become discouraged. Don’t fall on the "crutch" of using old dentures or doing without. This will only prolong the adjustment period. Remember, millions have learned these skills and you can too.

 

Mouth and Denture Care

Your mouth is an ever-changing soft environment and your dentures are relatively hard and unyielding.  Consequently, a short period adapting to them is usual.

Dentures should remain out of the mouth for an eight-hour period during each twenty-four hours. This rest period is essential for the long-term health of the denture supporting tissues. Research has shown that certain pathologic conditions can occur if the dentures are worn continuously. The gums stay healthier and the jaw bones shrink less with a daily period of rest. Most patients find it convenient to rest the mouth while sleeping. Taking the dentures out at night has thus become the recommended procedure. Dentures tend to collect even more food debris than natural teeth. Dentures must be removed from the mouth and cleaned after eating and before retiring at night. The complete denture patient should have two brushes, a denture brush for cleaning the dentures and a soft toothbrush for brushing the gums and tongue. The denture brush has a small tuft of bristles on one side which helps clean inside the denture. Please do not use toothpaste on dentures. The abrasives in regular toothpaste polish enamel without damage but can be damaging over time to the plastic denture bases and artificial teeth. Use a dentifrice made specifically for dentures, or simply brush them with liquid soap or plain water. Since the plastic denture material is breakable, it is an excellent idea to brush the dentures over a sink partially filled with water. Many dentures have been broken by dropping them into an empty sink.

Remember that tartar or calculus can form on dentures just as on natural teeth. Stains and tartar generally do not form on dentures that are thoroughly brushed daily. Remember also that "dentures breath" is caused by unclean dentures in an unclean mouth.

Whenever dentures are out of the mouth they should be stored in clean water. Failure to keep dentures wet results in the material drying out and warpage can occur. Dentures should be stored overnight in a denture cup and a commercial cleaner may be used if desired. Such cleaners can make dentures taste and smell better but should not be considered a substitute for brushing.

 

Future Denture Needs

As a child develops, his or her jaw bones grow for the purpose of supporting the teeth. When the teeth are removed, the body knows that bone is no longer needed, and the bone that supported the teeth immediately begins to shrink away. This shrinkage is greatest during the first year after teeth are removed but continues slowly throughout life. Studies have also shown that wearing dentures accelerates this process. It is generally accepted that sufficient changes in the jaw bones and soft tissues occurs in six to ten years to require the construction of new dentures. However, there is wide variation among patients and sometimes the internal surface of the denture needs to be updated earlier by what is calling a reline procedure.

Since we know the tissues of the mouth were never intended to support artificial dentures, and that dentures can damage these tissues, it is important for denture patients to be examined by the dentist at least once each year. Any unusual changes in the mouth should be reported to the dentist immediately. Patients who use tobacco and drink alcoholic beverages should probably be seen every six months.

There are some patients who never master the use of complete dentures. Perhaps they cannot learn to keep the lower denture stable enough to chew, or perhaps they cannot get accustomed to having the whole palate covered by the denture. In the past, little could be done for these patients. Today, such problems can often be managed through the use of dental implants. For example, as few as two dental implants can markedly improve the retention and stability of a lower denture.

Finally, with regard to denture breakage and repairs, please avoid super glue and do-it-yourself reline and repair kits. These products generally delay proper treatment and increase the risk of injury to your mouth. When such problems occur, please see your dentist, not your druggist. Every effort will be made to manage any future denture problems in a timely manner, so please do not hesitate to call for an appointment. It has been a privilege to provide you with your complete dentures and we hope that you will quickly master their use.