mouth and dental disorders
Dental Appliances
Dentures
Complete (full) or partial dentures are useful for people who have lost nearly all or all of their teeth. Complete dentures can be removed and are worn by people who have no teeth. Partial dentures can also be removed and are worn by people who need to have several teeth replaced but who cannot have or cannot afford bridges or implants. Dentists carefully construct dentures so that they fit well and look natural. Typically, constructing dentures takes several months and involves a sequence of carefully planned steps. Once they have dentures, people should see their dentist at least once a year. The shape of the mouth and jawbones can change over time or as weight is lost or gained, in which case the dentures may have to be refitted or replaced. Dentures can improve appearance and speech, but they are far from a perfect solution. They do not fully restore the feeling of natural teeth and restore less than 20% of the chewing ability provided by natural teeth. Dentures can also cause discomfort and interfere with tasting. Dentures must be kept clean. They should be removed after each meal and cleaned with nonabrasive, nonwhitening toothpaste or baking soda on a soft toothbrush or denture brush. Also, the mouth should be cleaned to remove food debris. Dentures should be removed before going to sleep, cleaned carefully, and kept in a safe place. Soaking dentures overnight in a cleaning solution can be helpful but is not necessary if dentures are cleaned well with a toothbrush. Occasionally, the gums beneath dentures become red and inflamed and have a velvety appearance (denture sore mouth). The inflammation may be caused by the yeastCandidaand may not be painful. People who have this type of inflammation may have poorly fitting dentures, poor oral hygiene, and/or dentures that move excessively. Most frequently, people who wear their dentures 24 hours a day are at increased risk of inflammation. People who have an overgrowth ofCandidacan develop cottonlike patches or ulcerlike sores on their gums that can often easily be treated with medications. If inflammation persists, the dentist may order a biopsy to test for oral cancer and other tests to look for systemic conditions such as diabetes. Refitted or new, well-made dentures almost always improve the situation. Improving oral hygiene and more effective denture cleaning may also help reduce tissue inflammation. Some people may need to remove the dentures for extended periods and use antifungal mouth rinses and overnight soaks for the dentures. A dentist can prescribe a variety of topical antifungals to treat the yeast (Candida) infection that is contributing to inflammation beneath the dentures. 