10 Things You Should Know Before Getting Dentures

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#10 Loss of Flavor Perception

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Did you know that you actually have taste buds on the roof of your mouth?

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Because of the way that dentures are designed, the top of the denture will cover the roof of your mouth, hiding the taste buds and stopping you from being able to allow you to taste the food that goes in your mouth.

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Dawn, a previous denture patient says, ”Nothing was enjoyable. I had no palate. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t even taste! When you can smell but not taste anything, that’s terrible.”

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#9 Decrease in Bite Force

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When you go into a denture, you can lose a significant amount of biting force! By losing the biting force, this can limit what someone wearing dentures will be able to eat! Dawn says that she couldn’t enjoy BBQ ribs. She felt that she couldn’t eat anything with her dentures!

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Jay, another former denture patient explains the embarrassment of having the teeth fall out or flop around when trying to have a conversation with someone. 

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#8 Malnutrition

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Since you can lose some perception of taste and biting power, oftentimes denture patients will stop eating the healthy meals and opt for the easy meals that are less nutritious. 

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Jay explains that he could not chew lettuce unless he cut it into small pieces which he didn’t want to do. So he would find himself eating the less healthy choices because of the difficulty of chewing healthier foods, especially meat. Malnutrition leads to poorer health.

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#7 Sleeping without teeth

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It is recommended that dentures are removed during sleep to give your gums and mouth time to rest. All while still needing to take care of the dentures to remove the built up plaque and bacteria that can cause infections in the mouth if left untreated.

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#6 Ask your provider about a timeline

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 Talk to the provider about the exact treatment sequence. 

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For example, when the extractions will take place, how long it takes to heal and when you will be put into a denture. It can take up to 6-8 weeks following tooth extractions to get a denture! During the healing period it is normal to get a temporary denture or “immediate denture” that will be used for the weeks following the procedure. It can take up to a year for the bone to heal all the way in order for you to get a final denture made. But will it be the last denture you have made? Probably not! Most denture patients require many sets of dentures throughout their lives. 

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“My schedule was based around the inconvenience of a denture. I just can’t live like that.” Dawn shares.

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#5 Ask about maintenance

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Talk to your provider about the appointments needed after getting the dentures. It is common for dentures to need to be adjusted or relined (add material to help them fit better) which cost both money and time.

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Some signs that the dentures are not fitting properly are sores that develop in the mouth or pain when putting the dentures in or taking it out.

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When dentures do not fit properly, it is possible to use up to 3 tubes of glue a day! That’s $5 a pop! That can add up to around $500 a month on glue alone!

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Dawn admits she couldn’t deal with the hassle of having to put glue all over the denture and try and fit it back into her mouth. Especially when sores began to develop. She explains how extreme the pain was when she developed sores from the poor fitting dentures. She wouldn’t even be able to get the denture back in her mouth for 2-3 days after because of the swelling. 

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#4 Get a written estimate

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Ever had a surprise bill from the dentist? Yeah, that is all to common with the hidden fees that come with dentures. 

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There is a lot of maintenance on dentures because they are not constantly changing with your mouth. As your mouth changes, and it will, the denture will need to be refitted so that it can properly function. This adjustment may last for a week or two until you will need another adjustment. After so many adjustments and relines, it will be time for a new set of dentures and the process will start all over again. 

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Sounds fun, right? Jay and Dawn definitely didn’t think so.

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#3 Discomfort

Jay tells us that as there would be infections in his mouth, there would also be extreme pain especially when trying to put the dentures back in on top of his wounds.

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Bacteria that builds up in the dentures can hurt the gum tissue in your mouth and lead to extended amounts of pain. 

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Another large factor in denture pain is poor fit. When dentures do not fit in the mouth correctly, it can rub and put pressure on the sensitive parts of the gum tissue. If you have ever worn a shoe that rubs in the wrong place, you can get a blister pretty easily. The same goes for the mouth. When the dentures continually rub as the wearer talks, swallows and eats, the gums can get really sore. Except the mouth does not develop a defense such as a callus, it will just create a sore and then heal and repeat that cycle forever.

It is also fairly common to get cracks and chips in the denture that will contribute to the sores that develop. When the cracks and chips happen, this causes the dentures to not work properly. Which can lead to a lot of discomfort until they are repaired or replaced.

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#2 Bone loss

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The most amount of bone is lost in the first year of removing the teeth and getting dentures. This bone loss will continue at a rate of .1 to .2 mm for the next 3 years! Which will mean as the bone is lost, new dentures will need to be made to replace the ones that fit your bone before it changed.

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Bone loss is a dangerous road to travel. When bone starts to atrophy (go away), the mouth has less structure to hold the denture and limits the possibility for dental implants. 

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The longer teeth are out of the mouth, the worse bone loss can become. It is also more likely to break the jaw when the bone is thinner.

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#1 Temporary Fix

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Instead of going through the process that dentures require, you can come to Nuvia Dental Implant Center and get a permanent set of teeth in 24 hours.

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With Nuvia’s permanent teeth in 24 hours you will have the ability to smile, eat your favorite foods again, speak naturally, and live with the quality of life that you deserve.

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“I’m not as self conscious. I know that when I go out to eat I’m going to be able to eat, hold a conversation and not have to hold my teeth in. What Nuvia did for me is they gave me my life back. They gave me everything back that was important to me.”

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So what are you waiting for? Find out if you qualify by taking this 60-second quiz and find out if full mouth dental implants are the right option for you.

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