How Do Dentures Stay In Place?
Dentures are also called false teeth. That is because they are replacements for teeth that have been lost or removed. There are many different types of dentures, and your dentist can help you decide which type of false teeth best addresses your specific situation.
What makes dentures an effective replacement for natural teeth is the way they fit in your mouth. False teeth permit you to speak clearly, eat solid foods, and smile proudly. They also will improve your self-image which will increase your confidence. But for dentures to be effective, they must rest firmly and securely in your mouth.
Imagine trying to chew food with loose dentures. It won’t be easy. Also, think about what could happen if a denture slips loose when you are speaking or smiling. Not only is this embarrassing, but it can result in damage to the dentures if they fall out of your mouth completely and land on a hard surface.
How To Keep Dentures In Place
So, how do dentures stay in place? Here is a look at some of the most common methods used to hold false teeth securely.
Method #1 – Denture Adhesive
Denture adhesive acts like glue that grabs hold of the dentures and keeps them in place. There are 3 different types of denture adhesives: powders, liquids, or creams. The adhesive is applied to the surface of the false teeth that sit on your gum line and mixes with your saliva to cause the dentures to stick in place.
Method #2 – Keep Your Dentures Clean
As obvious as it may sound, one of the best ways to ensure your false teeth stay in place is to keep them clean. This means brushing and soaking them in a cleaning solution daily. By cleaning your false teeth, you remove food particles that can get between your gums and dentures which can impact how snug they sit inside of your mouth.
Method #3 – Don’t Sleep With Your Dentures
One of the first things you should learn about care and maintenance of false teeth is to remove them and place them in a cleaning solution to soak them overnight. Part of this is to keep your false teeth from drying out which can cause them to become brittle and crack. Sleeping with dentures in your mouth will keep them moist, but will also alter the shape of your mouth over time. When your gum line changes, it will impact the fit of your dentures.
Method #4 – Store Them In Water
Another trick to keep your dentures from drying out and warping out of shape is to store them in a container filled with water. If you are not going to be wearing your dentures for an extended period, for whatever reason, keeping them in a storage container filled with water will do much the same thing as an overnight soak in a cleaning solution. The water will keep your dentures from drying out and becoming damaged or easier to damage.
Method #5 – Change Your Eating and Talking
Dentures are going to change the way we talk and eat. At first, when you are fitted for a new set of dentures, it is a good idea to take things slowly. That means, talking slower and eating slowly. This will help to keep them in place at all times.
You may end up altering your diet by removing foods that stain your dentures or are sticky and may pull them out of place. Eating slowly, making choices that include foods that won’t easily dislodge your dentures, and being mindful when talking can make a big difference to keeping your dentures in place.
In Conclusion
Wearing dentures has pros and cons but if you were to list them, you would quickly discover that the pros outweigh the cons. Sure, you may have to learn how to do a few things differently, but in the long run, you will be better off making these changes so that you can continue to wear false teeth.
While keeping dentures in place can be challenging at times, once you start using these tips, it will become easier, and your smile will show how great the progress has been.
