How Your Dentures Feel
When you first wear dentures, you may feel as though they don't fit properly. You may feel that they "gag" you, or that you are biting your cheeks or tongue. Don't worry-these problems will lessen as you adjust to your dentures. If you wear an upper denture, it may take some time for your tongue to get used to the feeling of being pressed against the denture and not the roof of your mouth.

For all new denture wearers, your dental professional may recommend the use of a denture adhesive like Fixodent to help you feel more comfortable and confident.

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New Sensations
With a new "foreign object" in your mouth, you may find that, at first, your mouth is full of saliva. This is perfectly natural and will go away once you become adjusted to your dentures. Try to swallow more often to remove the excess saliva. You might want to suck on a mint or hard candy to get you to swallow more frequently.

Some soreness in your mouth is to be expected, and usually occurs within a few hours of putting your dentures in. If soreness becomes a continuing problem for you, make an appointment to see your dentist or prosthodontist so that any necessary adjustments can be made to your denture. Never try to make adjustments to your dentures on your own.

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How Your Dentures Look
When you first wear dentures, you may get the feeling that they are too big or that your lips are being pushed forward. The "full-mouth" feeling will wear off as you get used to your dentures.

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Speaking with Confidence
When you are speaking, the sound reaches your ears through vibrations in the bones of the jaw and skull. Wearing dentures changes and increases the sound, but is much more noticeable to you than to anyone else.

If your dentures "click" when you speak, try to speak more slowly to avoid movements that raise and/or move your lower denture. Keeping your lower denture in place requires the ability to hold it still with the muscles of your lips, cheeks and tongue. At first, these muscles may tend to "kick out" your denture. With time and practice, you will be able to overcome the difficulties of speaking.

To speak more confidently:

• Bite and swallow before speaking. This places your dentures in position so you can speak more clearly.
• Practice reading aloud.
• Use a denture adhesive. Using an adhesive such as Fixodent will help keep your dentures in place and make it easier to speak clearly.

Eating with Confidence
You may find that chewing feels different with dentures. You may also think that food has "lost its flavour". While you are adjusting to dentures, your mind is receiving strong signals from your mouth about your dentures, which overpower the messages from your taste buds. After you are accustomed to the denture, your mind will pay less attention to your dentures and more to your taste buds.
During your adjustment time, you may have trouble sensing hot foods and drinks. Be careful, you don't want to burn your mouth.
To eat more easily and enjoyably with dentures:

• Begin with small quantities of food and cut it into smaller pieces.
• When you put food in your mouth, chew half of it on the back, left side of your mouth and the other half on the back, right side. This will even out the pressure on your dentures.
• Start with soft foods. Some good examples are eggs, fish, chopped meat, cooked vegetables, and puddings. After you feel more confident, try eating chewier foods like steak and celery.

Long-Term Care of Your Dentures

• Continue to see your dentist regularly. Even if you have both upper and lower dentures, you should maintain your oral health. Dentists should check the fit of your denture, make any necessary adjustments, and professionally clean your dentures. Your gums, tongue, and jaw should be examined to stay healthy.
• If you sense a change in the way your denture works or feels, discuss it with your dental professional. They will help you to care for your dentures, and will advise if you need a relining or adjustment.
• With even the best care, some dentures will need to be remade. As time passes, the bony ridge in your mouth goes through natural changes and oral tissue shrinks over time. Because the dentures rest on this area of your mouth, they will need to be refitted every few years by relining or rebasing. Damage to your mouth is possible if refitting does not occur, such as chronic sore spots or oral cancer. New dentures should be made every 5-10 years.

Care and Use demonstrations
Click any of these links to view demos about managing your life with dentures:

How to Use Fixodent Adhesive Cream
Click here to view a demonstration

How to Remove Your Dentures
Click here to view a demonstration

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