Do you need dentures and live in Vancouver? Dr. Kirk Sutton provides dentures and denture services throughout Vancouver and its surrounding suburbs.
Dentures are rigid structures that are designed to fit into a very mobile environment. It is very important that dentures are monitored carefully for their comfort and fit with a view to adjusting the dentures before problems occur, rather than tolerating discomfort in the hope that the mouth will adjust to the denture. The mouth may adjust eventually but there will be damage to soft tissues and bone in the process which can be painful and cause even greater problems down the road.
The fit of dentures can be monitored in a number of ways. Determining the stability of the denture will be one guide but this assessment must also include evaluation of the soft tissues supporting the denture (which may also be mobile due to loss of the underlying bone). Disclosing materials such as a pressure indicator paste may also be helpful in registering the intimacy of denture fit. In either case, it is the intimacy of fit that is most important. Areas where contact is too heavy may require reduction in order to allow biting forces to be more evenly distributed.
If bone and soft tissue loss is greater, then it may be necessary to carefully insert additional material, a process known as “relining” or “rebasing” the denture. Great care must be taken when performing this procedure to ensure that the biting relationship between the teeth is not disturbed, which is something that can happen rather easily! Careful readjustment of the biting contacts may be necessary using a remount technique in order to ensure a more perfect bite.
An imperfect bite is as potent a cause of sore-spots as an imperfect fit. Both the fit of the denture AND the biting contacts must be carefully controlled. If the fit of a denture has deteriorated too much or if the teeth have worn away too much, then it may be necessary to remake the denture to restore appropriate appearance, fit, and function.
If you live in Vancouver or the Lower Mainland, and are experiencing difficulty with your dentures, please give us a call. We will be more than happy to help you with any discomfort you may be experiencing. Along with making dentures in our Vancouver clinic, we also perform relining, rebasing, remount techniques and other denture services.