Otherwise referred to as false or artificial teeth, dentures have been used for decades to restore the smiles of those with missing teeth. Whether your teeth have fallen out or been extracted by a dentist in Cooper City, dentures work to replace your natural teeth and allow you to speak and eat without struggle. Although dentures are helpful and normally fit snugly in your mouth, they can eventually loosen, causing them not to function as well as they should. Our team at Cooper City Family Dentistry takes you through what can be done about loose dentures in this article.
What Causes Dentures to Become Loose?
Dentures can start to feel loose for several reasons, but the most common culprit is jawbone deterioration. This occurs in individuals who are missing teeth and is a process in which your gums and jawbone begin to shrink because they no longer have the stimulation from your natural teeth.
Another common reason that dentures loosen is simple wear and tear. You can prevent this by taking excellent care of your dentures. This means cleaning them gently with a denture solution and soft-bristled toothbrush daily, removing them at night and storing them in a proper container, and preventing damage by avoiding hard and sticky foods.
How to Fix Loose Dentures
There are various ways to fix loose dentures near you. One such way is using a stronger denture adhesive. However, this should only be a temporary fix. Dentures are created to fit your specific mouth structure, which means they should fit perfectly without the need for an adhesive.
If you notice that your dentures begin to loosen, you should make an appointment with our dentist near you to get them fixed. Our dentist can readjust your dentures so that they once again fit perfectly in your mouth. However, if your jawbone deterioration is occurring quickly, you may have to visit our team at Cooper City Family Dentistry more than once to have your dentures adjusted.
If you cannot visit our dentist right away, you can hold your dentures in place with a strong adhesive, as mentioned above. Before applying the adhesive to your dentures, ensure that it does not contain zinc, as this can lead to health problems.
If you constantly find yourself looking to fix your loose dentures in Cooper City, you may want to consider speaking to our team about implant-supported dentures. These are anchored into your jawbone using dental implants, which replace both the tooth and tooth root, stimulating your jawbone and preventing further deterioration while also ensuring your dentures remain firmly in place. When it comes to implant-supported dentures, patients have two options:
- Ball-retained dentures: this denture type needs each implant to have a metal attachment that fits onto the dentures.
- Bar-retained dentures: this denture type uses a thin metal bar that wraps around your jawline and attaches to up to five dental implants using clips.
The Bottom Line
Dentures should add to your quality of life, not take away from it. Dealing with loose dentures all the time can be frustrating and painful. Loose dentures can slide around on your gums, leading to irritation and sore spots. If you have loose dentures, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our team at Cooper City Family Dental. We are happy to help readjust your dentures so that they once again fit comfortably in your mouth and discuss the possibility of implant-supported dentures with you. Please contact us to book an appointment today!