I love that my family dentist is tech-savvy. It's so easy to book a dentist on his smartphone app if I have a tooth problem or if anyone in my family needs emergency problems (I can choose either my normal dentist or another dentist in his practise depending on availability). He also has some great cameras so that we can see exactly what is going on during treatment. I prefer not to see this, but my kids love to be able to see the dentist using his specialised tools to clean and repair their teeth. This blog has some tips on finding a tech-savvy dentist to help give your family the best possible dental care.
If you have just been fitted with your first set of dentures, here are a couple of tips that you may find helpful.
Get damaged components of your dentures repaired promptly
Dentures are made from durable materials and as such, can withstand quite a bit of wear and tear without breaking. However, they are not indestructible and may sustain damage if they are dropped onto a very hard surface or if the wearer repeatedly bites down on a particularly solid or chewy piece of food.
If a small component of your dentures breaks, but the broken part is barely noticeable, you may be tempted to postpone your visit to the dentist to have the component repaired.
However, this is not a good idea. The reason for this is as follows; wearing a damaged denture for an extended period of time could lead to a number of serious dental health issues.
If for example, one of the denture's artificial teeth breaks off and you carry on wearing this dental device for several months without fixing this issue, your adjacent 'real' teeth could begin to migrate towards the gap left behind by the missing section of the denture.
This migration could alter your bite and in doing so, make it much more difficult to chew your food. This, in turn, could lead to digestive problems.
The change to your bite could also leave you with a mild lisp.
As such, it is crucial to have your broken dentures fixed as soon as you notice any damage. Most denture repair work takes less than a day to complete, meaning that you won't be left without your dental device for very long.
Prioritise hygiene
Unlike real teeth, dentures will not decay if they are not brushed regularly. However, this does not mean that you do not need to clean this dental device.
If you fail to thoroughly brush your dentures and then soak them in an antibacterial solution each night, two problems could arise.
Firstly, the surface of the dentures will gradually become covered in a thick film of food particles and bacterial plaque. This will give you extremely malodorous breath. Interacting with others when you have bad breath can be both embarrassing and uncomfortable.
Secondly, if you accidentally cut or burn the inside of your mouth, or if you develop a mouth ulcer, the bacteria residing on your dentures could enter this open wound and create a serious infection. In this situation, you may need to have your dentist prescribe both antibiotics and a medicated mouth rinse to resolve the infection.
As such, it is critical to ensure that your dentures are repaired and kept in hygienically-clean condition at all times.
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