I have a denture and it is driving me bananas. I have a strong gag reflex and the hard plate is making it hard for me to get through my day with teeth in. I am hoping there is such a thing as a soft denture that will make it easier for me to handle this.
Judy
Dear Judy,
There is not such a thing as a soft denture, but there is something like a soft lining. These can be used to line the inside of the denture and are helpful for patients who have bony ridges. This protects the ridge of their jawbone from getting sores. They help the lower denture to become more comfortable. They are more expensive and do not last very long so they will have to be replaced.
Unfortunately, this will not help with your upper denture. The plate is necessary to create a stable framework. There is not anything pliable that will work in that case.
The best solution for you would be to get fixed implant dentures. This entails having some dental implants surgically placed, then your dentures can be anchored to them. This will prevent you from needing that plate at all because the implants retain the dentures for you. They will be completely secure.
An even bigger benefit is it will prevent facial collapse. When your teeth were first removed, your body recognized that and began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone. It does this because it realizes that you no longer need to support the teeth and it wasn’t to be as efficient with the resources in your body as possible. After about ten or so years, you will no longer have enough minerals in your jawbone to retain your dentures. This is known as facial collapse.
The dental implants placed in your body, serve as prosthetic tooth roots. This signals to your body that you still have tooth roots, which means it will preserve your jawbone in order to keep your teeth in place.
This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.