Lower dentures to replace missing teeth are normally the more difficult denture for people to get used to. Here are 3 of the main reasons they are often loose and uncomfortable.
- Your tongue is one of the strongest muscles in the body. It can easily flick a lower denture around.
- A lower denture only has a thin horseshoe shaped area of gum to sit on (unlike an upper denture which can rest on almost the whole surface area of your upper jaw & palate and also has suction). The lips are pushing the lower denture backwards and your tongue is pushing it forwards and lifting it.
- An older denture may not fit as snugly as when it was first made. Over time the jaw bone resorbs (or shrinks). This resorption happens the most during the first 6 months after a tooth has been removed but continues at a slower rate for the rest of your life.
Loose lower dentures – 5 potential solutions
- If you have an old denture that used to be comfortable and that you are happy with, appearance wise, but has become loose, an option may be to reline the fitting surface. This means putting a new layer of acrylic (pink plastic) on the fitting surface of the denture. This fills up any gaps between the denture and the gum and may help to re-stabilise it.
- Making a basic new acrylic denture.
- If there are teeth present making a cobalt chrome denture with clasps that clip around the remaining teeth to assist grip.
- If there are teeth present placing dental crowns on teeth adjacent to the denture with special precision attachments which the denture snugly clips onto. Special attachment crowns which also have milled parallel walls make for a very satisfactory solution – a secure denture and no visible clasps.
- Retaining the denture with dental implants.
If you would like to discuss potential options to make your denture more comfortable, give us a call on 051 421453 to arrange a consultation.
