What to Expect from Your New Immediate Complete Dentures
Losing multiple teeth can be very difficult and challenging, but fortunately Immediate Dentures can be made to ease this transition. No denture will ever function as well as your natural teeth. Learning to wear a new denture takes a lot of effort and patience, but with time you can learn to use them well. The first few weeks will be a period of adjustment, especially due to the drastic changes and bony remodeling of your jawbone after multiple extractions. Your immediate dentures will need to be adjusted and you will need to adjust to your new dentures.
The First 48 Hours: You will wear your dentures constantly for the first 24 hours. This is important, if your dentures are removed too long, your jaw may swell and prevent the denture from being replaced or properly seated. For the first few weeks your denture will act more like a “band-aid” than a denture. Wearing the denture after extractions will help minimize the bleeding and swelling. Seeping and minimal bleeding is normal for a few days. Do not smoke or use tobacco for 48 hours. This will decrease the rate of healing and will increase the likelihood of developing “dry sockets”. Discomfort may follow as anesthesia wears off. Take pain medication (and antibiotics if given) as vxvcggxh. It is easier to keep your mouth from hurting than to make it stop, so take your pain medicine for the first 2 days as prescribed. Also, do not use any alcoholic beverages, operate a motor vehicle, or perform tasks that require you to be fully alert. Reduce strenuous activity for 24 hours or longer. You must not do any rinsing, forceful spitting, drinking through a straw, or drink carbonated drinks for the first 24 hours following the surgery in order to help maintain the blood clot within the tooth sockets. Gently rinse with warm saltwater the day after surgery & do it after every time you eat for two to three days (½ teaspoon salt to 8 oz glass of warm water). Do NOT spit the rinse, let it dribble down your chin. Spitting may dislodge the blood clot. We would like to see you for a post operation appointment the day after your extractions. The following suggestions will help to answer some questions that you may have during your adjustment period.
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Fit & Shrinkage The purpose of Immediate Dentures is to prevent you from going months without teeth. It is a transitional denture. The alveolar ridge (jawbone) exists only to hold teeth. Once the teeth are extracted they will begin to resorb (shrink). The majority of the shrinkage will occur in the first 2-6 months but will gradually continue throughout the rest of your life. Therefore, traditional dentures made 2-6 months after extractions will fit much better than an immediate. It is very common for patients to accept this shrinkage and instability of fit as a part of immediate dentures. YOU CANNOT EXPECT IMMEDIATE DENTURES TO FIT WELL. They are designed to be of temporary nature and must be relined and adjusted occasionally as your bone changes. We design it based upon research which suggests the way your bone will change but it may vary from person to person. Included in the fee are multiple adjustments and tissue conditioners which are placed on an as needed basis
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Pain and discomfort: Soreness will probably develop in your mouth during your period of adjustment. This soreness is expected and in most instances we depend on the type and location of sore spots to guide us in adjusting of your dentures. Wear your dentures constantly for the next 24 hours (including overnight until your adjustment only) and return the next day so that I may adjust your denture for you. NEVER TRY TO ADJUST YOUR DENTURES YOURSELF. The cause for your soreness may require one of many types of adjustments. Only a doctor can decide what adjustment is needed.
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Comfort: Do not expect your dentures to feel natural or comfortable at first. If this is your first set of dentures, you should readily realize that you have some adapting to do. If you have previously worn dentures, you must realize that your new dentures are different, and you will have to alter some old habits and learn some new ones. A feeling of fullness is perfectly natural. Your dentures will be imposing on the former positions of your face muscles. The muscles in your lips, cheeks and tongue will adjust. Your muscles will at first tend to displace your dentures, but you will learn new muscle habits. Do not form habits of loosening your dentures with your tongue or lips. Do not bite in unnatural positions. This habit will only loosen your dentures.
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Eating: Learning to chew well with dentures normally requires at least 6 to 8 weeks . You should begin by chewing relatively soft food that is cut into small pieces. Do not try to test your new dentures on difficult foods. Many people have made this mistake. Such foods as steak, peanuts, fresh vegetables and fresh bread should be avoided until after your period of adjustment, and even then they can be quite challenging. It has been shown that dentures, at best, are only 25% as efficient for eating as natural teeth. You will eventually learn to use your dentures quite well, but always remember there is a limit.
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Speech: At first you may have some trouble speaking properly with you new dentures. Some of this trouble is caused by dentures and some of it by your psychological awareness of new dentures. Your tongue is a fantastically adaptable muscle and research has shown that it will adapt to almost any change in a week's time. You can gain confidence by practicing your speech reading aloud in front of a mirror.
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Cleaning: Brush your dentures thoroughly at least twice a day with a specially designed denture brush. Do not use toothpaste or any other abrasive substances. We recommend you soak your dentures periodically in one of the commercial soak solutions (renew or polydent) using them as directed.
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Tissue Management: Do not wear your dentures at night (except the initial 24 hours). Dental research has shown that constant day and night pressure on the soft tissues and bone beneath your dentures contributes significantly to shrinkage of these tissues and the underlying bone. When your dentures are left out, they should be kept in water. Never allow your dentures to dry out. The plastic portion can distort if allowed to dry.
6-12 months after extractions your mouth will begin to stabilize, and you will be ready for your permanent reline. All appointments prior to this reline is included in the cost of your dentures. The permanent reline is an additional charge. This stage it important because the soft liners we have been placing for the past few months are porous and collect bacteria quickly.