Are Your Denture Teeth Worn? Flat?
Inferior denture
teeth can wear excessively. This "shortening" of
the teeth leads to a shortening of the face. That will increase
the
wrinkles around your mouth, cheeks and chin. The end result? You
look older.
Over time, the ridge
tissue will shrink, no longer supporting the denture like it should. An
unstable denture can make the ridges shrink even more and at a
faster rate.
Joint and Jaw Disorders
Excessive denture tooth
wear and "shortening" of the ridges may cause improper
support and function which can upset the jaw mechanism. This
can, in extreme cases, lead to a temporo mandibular joint (TMJ)
disorder. TMJ can be characterized by pain in the jaw, neck,
head, and/or shoulders.
Poor
Chewing Ability
A denture that doesn't
fit or teeth that don't function effectively can make it difficult
to chew food properly. As a result, many nutritious and harder-to-chew
foods may be eliminated from the diet. In these cases, digestion
and overall good health are affected.
Unnatural
Aesthetics
"Chicklet" teeth
that are all the same color can be a tell-tale sign that a person
is wearing a denture. The same is true with overly dark teeth.
Other signs are flat teeth, "picket fence" teeth, too
much gum, too much teeth or not enough teeth showing.
Emotional and Psychological
Distress
Improper fit or unnatural-looking
dentures can make it difficult and embarrassing to speak, eat and
socialize.
Did you know that your
dentures need to be replaced at least every 3 years?
This should be no surprise! Would you expect clothes, that you
wore all day, everyday, to last 20 years? Even if they do, there
would definitely be considerable wear and tear. Certainly,
they would not fit in the same way they once did. You should
expect no less from your dentures!
- The gums and ridges of your mouth change over time while dentures
do not.
- A denture cannot do its job properly for more than 3 years.
- Wearing the same dentures for more than 3 years can cause
changes in your mouth that are often irreversible. For instance,
a bad fitting denture can cause the ridges to shrink faster.
Therefore, the denture becomes loose. In that case, it
then becomes that more difficult to fit future dentures.
