Is There a Soft Denture?

I’m having trouble with my dentures. The bottom ones are rubbing my teeth and causing some sores. The top one is an even bigger problem, I HATE the feel of the hard denture plate. Plus, food gets under it and irritates me. Is there a soft denture which I can switch to?

Mandy

Dear Mandy,

While there isn’t a soft, pliable denture that you could wear which will eliminate the struggles you’re feeling, especially with the hardness of the dentures plate, there are solutions to everything you’ve mentioned. Let’s start with the sores on your bottom arch because of your dentures rubbing.

If you are going to stay with completely removable dentures, there is a soft denture liner. This can go inside the denture and help soften the impact on bony ridges. If you have bony ridges, your dentist should have suggested that type of liner to begin with. If you don’t have bony ridges and the lower dentures are moving already (this is assuming they are new), that’s a problem with the fit. Your dentist should do some adjustments to get a better fit.

As you continue in dentures, they will start to slide and will eventually start falling out even with the best fit. This is because when your teeth were removed, your body recognized that you no longer had any teeth to support. In response to that, it began resorbing the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere. This results in your jawbone shrinking as more minerals are gone. Eventually, there won’t be enough minerals in your jawbone to even keep your dentures in at all. In dental circles, this is known as facial collapse.

As for the upper dentures. A soft liner won’t help there. That is because the denture plate needs to be firm in order to fit properly  and give a solid thing for it to work with when you chew your food.

The good news is that the same thing which will solve the upper denture problem will also deal with the consequences of facial collapse on your lower arch which is  inevitable with long term denture use.

Implant Supported Dentures Solve a LOT of Problems

By getting dental implants you can:

• Greatly improve your chewing capacity. Even the best fitting dentures reduce your chewing capacity by 50%.
• Halt all slipping and sliding. The dentures are anchored directly to the implants.
• Eliminates the need for a denture plate. It will be just like having healthy, natural teeth in your mouth again.
• Prevents facial collapse by the implants signaling to your body that you have teeth to keep in place.

Be aware that getting dental implants is a very advanced procedure. You want a dentist who has post-doctoral training in placing them. Don’t let a dentist near you who hasn’t acquired the training.

This blog is brought to you by Angel’s Smile Dental Care, the only female-owned dental practice in Draper, UT.