You Don't Have to Struggle with Ill-Fitting Dentures — We Can Help!

Missing teeth ruin your smile, hinder your speech, mess with chewing and digestion, and put you at risk for oral health issues. Fortunately, dentures offer you a way back to normal — that is, after you get used to them. 

Dentures are one of our most effective and popular tooth replacement tools (upwards of 41 million Americans have them), but almost no one gets away without hitting a learning curve. 

And that’s where we come in. 

Jason Alsbury, LD, and our team at Apex Denture Studio specialize in fitting and placing dentures and ensuring they fit you comfortably for the long haul. 

In this blog, we cover a few reasons your dentures might be giving you problems and your options to fix them. 

The rogue dentures

Whether you’ve just received your dentures and are already feeling sore spots or you’ve had problem-free dentures for years until now, there are more than a few reasons why they’re bothering you. 

In the earliest stages, your dentures may feel uncomfortable simply because your mouth is still recovering from the trauma of the dental procedures you underwent. Inflammation and tenderness from extractions and other treatments can significantly affect how your dentures fit. 

As the years go on and your jaw bone and gums shrink and change, the changes in your mouth’s landscape can alter how your dentures (used to) fit comfortably. 

Damaged dentures also affect how they fit and feel. 

But the most common complaint about dentures is the breaking-in stage. New denture-wearers often struggle with learning to talk, chew, and smile with their dentures, and those formative months can come with a bit of discomfort. 

The good news is that a little patience and some help from our denture experts can solve any denture issue. Here’s how. 

Getting back to comfort

We don’t want anyone to suffer with ill-fitting dentures, so we’ve compiled a list of things you can try at home to find relief and some ways we can help. 

Try (high-quality) dental adhesive

Dentures that slip and slide cause irritation and discomfort. So, we recommend investing in a top-of-the-line dental adhesive to keep them in their place. 

Dental adhesive creates a gentle suction, which secures your dentures to your gums, improves fit, reduces movement, and alleviates pain. 

Practice, practice, practice

Getting used to dentures takes time, and we recommend you start slowly, especially when it comes to eating. Begin with thinly sliced or ground-up foods. Pasta and cooked veggies are also friendly options for denture rookies. 

If your favorite foods are tough, crunchy, and chewy, you may need to curb your cravings until you’ve gotten the hang of things. 

We also recommend you practice talking. Invite a friend or relative over for small talk or read a story aloud to your grandkid. Anything you can do to help your mouth adjust to the new movements it needs to make is helpful. 

Check for damage

Broken or damaged dentures are more likely to cause pain. Every time you remove your dentures, you should inspect them carefully. Let us know if you see even the smallest crack or chip; we’ll repair them quickly.

Don’t wait

If you’ve tried everything and given your dentures a fair trial but are still in pain, it’s time to call in our expert. We can give you more tips tailored to your needs or discuss repairs and adjustments. 

For example, we offer denture relines, a relaying process to add more material to areas of your dentures, causing soreness. Sometimes, we may start from scratch and create a brand new set of dentures, though dentures don’t typically need replacing until years 5-10. 

We may also discuss the possibility of implant-retained dentures, which are held in place by one or more dental implants. Our patients notice a significant improvement in look, function, and feel when they opt for this type of denture. 

Whatever’s caused your dentures to turn on you, don’t worry — we’re here to help with everything from simple tricks to full-on repairs. If you need help with your dentures, don’t wait to call our friendly staff at 509-204-8305 in Yakima or Richland, Washington, or use our online booking tool to schedule an appointment.