Fortunately, dentures have come a long way since George Washington’s famous wooden set. This popular tooth replacement option is not only effective but extremely lifelike and durable as well. However, they don’t last forever. In fact, their typical lifespan is 5-10 years. Since that is a wide range, it is important to be aware of the signs you should replace your dentures. Keep reading to learn more from your dentist in Cocoa Beach.
Changes in Your Speech Patterns
To form words, your tongue makes a series of unique motions against the back of your teeth. When you first get your dentures, it’s natural to experience a slight learning curve as your mouth adjusts. Fortunately, repeating the more difficult words (like “sixty”) and reading aloud can help speed up the process. If you continue to have difficulty, make sure to talk to your dentist. From there, they can adjust the prosthetic or create a new one to ensure you can communicate clearly.
Dentures Have Become Discolored or Damaged
Although dentures are more durable than ever before, they are by no means indestructible. All it takes is one wrong bite or one bad fall for the base or one of the prosthetic teeth to sustain a chip or crack. If this happens, do your best to gather the pieces and contact your dental team right away. Relatively minor damage may be able to be repaired. However, more extensive harm necessitates a replacement.
Chewing Food Properly Has Become Difficult
One of the primary benefits of dentures is that they can help restore your bite force. However, if you’re having difficulty chewing properly, you should definitely talk to your dentist. After all, this can take a toll on your quality of life, lead to nutritional deficiencies, and result in indigestion. To prevent this from happening, don’t wait to schedule an appointment when your dentures first start giving you trouble.
Dentures No Longer Fit Securely
To ensure you can smile, chew, and speak without any embarrassing slippage, dentures are custom-made to fit snugly against your gums. To keep them in place, natural suction, denture adhesive, or a combination of the two are used. However, as your jawbone begins to deteriorate (an unfortunate consequence of tooth loss), your dentures will become ill-fitting. Although your dentist can make minor adjustments, at some point, a new prosthetic will need to be made.
If You Are Interested in a Longer-Lasting Option
This isn’t a sign like the previous paragraphs; it’s a suggestion to think about implant-supported dentures and partials. Dental implants are small titanium posts anchored into the jawbone. If you prefer a secure full or partial denture and do not want clips or adhesive, then consider implant-supported dentures.
In a brief surgery, an implant dentist can secure a few dental implant posts to hold your dentures in place. With implant-supported dentures, you won’t have to worry about slippage, and your prosthetic will feel secure. Be sure to ask your dentist in Cocoa Beach for more information.
Dentures are designed to rebuild your smile, boost your confidence, restore your bite, and enhance your speech in the process. To ensure you can continue enjoying benefits like these, make sure to replace your dentures as needed throughout your years!
About the Author
Dr. Gary Nawrocki earned his dental doctorate from the University of Florida and he’s completed thousands of hours of continuing education over the years to stay current on the ever-evolving landscape of dental technology. He is proud to have a Mastership with the Academy of General Dentistry. If it is time to replace your dentures, Dr. Nawrocki can provide long-lasting, natural-looking prosthetics and implant placement is performed in-house for implant-retained dentures. Schedule an appointment on his website or call (321) 783-7514.