Frequently Asked Questions

Your dentures get support from your upper and lower jaws (or gums). Once you have lost your teeth, your gums continue to shrink a little every year for the rest of your life. This leads to the dentures needing to be relined every 2-3 years. 

One issue with dentures is that they rest on moveable gums and can move a little during chewing. This can allow food to get underneath the dentures. If your dentures are a couple of years old, they may need to be relined. If you are adapting to new dentures, the best practice is to remove your dentures after eating and give them a rinse to keep the food from building up. Because every mouth is different, some dentures may get food underneath more easily than others, but it is a common difficulty with dentures, especially lower dentures.

When you get new dentures, there is always an adaption period where the dentures can put pressure on the gums and then require an adjustment to restore comfort. Since every mouth is different, adapting periods can longer for some people over others. If your dentures are causing pain, please call our clinic right away and schedule an appointment so we can address any issues. 

When you have your natural teeth extracted, your gums shrink a little every year for the rest of your life. Over time, this can lead to limited bone, or even flabby gums, where the denture has nothing to hold on to anymore. In these cases, the only ways to have the lower denture fit tight is with denture adhesive (denture glue), or have dental implants placed for the denture to hold on to.

Dentures have an average life of around 5 years. Over the denture life, the denture teeth get worn down and the gums change significantly, and then a whole new denture is required. Sometimes dentures can last longer than 5 years - you can make an appointment and get your denturist to take a look and see if you need new dentures, or a reline.

At a minimum, you should remove your dentures twice a day to brush and rinse them. Ideally, you should remove them after eating to clean off any food. If you have any remaining natural teeth, it is very important to remove your partials after eating and remove and food debris from around the denture areas surrounding your natural teeth. Remember to brush and floss at lease twice a day and to follow up with your dentist and hygienist at least once a year to ensure we can keep your teeth strong and healthy.

Thankfully no! As long as you still have remaining healthy teeth. If you have lost a tooth, or need to have one extracted, we can add on to your existing partial denture to help keep the denture fitting well and keep you smiling!

If you are interested in having your dentures supported by implants, you can schedule an appointment at our clinic. We can go over preliminary details and refer you to a dental clinic that we work with that will help you get started! 

Yes! It is very important to follow up with your dentist and hygienist. Getting implants is a difficult and expensive procedure and it is vital to follow up with check ups and hygiene care to ensure long life for your implants. 

When you have your teeth pulled, your gums go through significant shrinking for the first 12 months. You can lose up to 2-3mm of bone in the upper jaw and 2-5mm of bone in the lower jaw in that first 12 months! When you notice your dentures getting loose, give us a call and schedule an appointment to have a temporary lining placed in your denture to restore the fit.