Over the years, we've seen what certain cleaning agents are able to do to dentures & oral appliances and not all of it is good.
With a seemingly endless number of ways for your hard-earned money to slip from your grasp, it's understandable to be concerned about making good investments with that money.
Many of our patients ask if relining their full lower denture will make a big difference to the fit. The short answer to that is no, and so depending on their expectations it may not seem worthwhile to spend the money on it.
Dentures do last for several years but exactly how many can vary significantly from person to person. It's worth pointing out that there is nothing stopping a person from wearing a denture that has worn out long ago so you can, technically, make them last as long as you want. In the same way, you can use a set of tires for your car long beyond their recommended mileage but it will compromise performance and safety the longer they are used.
Following the extraction of teeth, the surrounding bone begins a dynamic process of shrinkage and remodeling. Initially, in the first few months, the gum shrinkage is quite rapid and a denture will become loose fairly quickly. The type of reline done during this healing period is only a temporary one. The bone will continue to shrink after this initial period but at a slower rate for up to approximately 12 months after the extractions.
We commonly see clients for consultations regarding snoring and when they arrive they seem energetic and fully alert. However, once they are sitting comfortably and we begin the consult, I often find out, within minutes, just how sleep-deprived they really are. During a 45 minute period they may nearly doze off a half a dozen times or more; leaving me to wonder how risky it is for them to be driving a car in that state.
Over the years, we have worked with many people who have fought with a poorly-fitting partial denture for months or even years. In some cases, the fit was uncomfortable enough that they had to stop wearing the partial altogether. Most of the time, these patients did follow up with the dental professional repeatedly in an attempt to improve the fit.
So you're having a sandwich at lunch and you could swear that you hear a "pop" sound at some point during your meal. After lunch you happen to run your tongue along the roof of the upper denture and it feels as though there is a hair stuck there. Once the denture is removed, it's obvious that the hair is actually a long crack.
A common misunderstanding people have regarding implant retained dentures is the cost associated with it. Commonly, when we mention implants as a possible solution to the loose-fitting complete lower denture problem, the quick answer back is “yes I looked into that already and I’m not willing to spend the they told me it would cost.”