Congratulation! You have just received your finalprosthesis. We hope you will enjoy using it. There are a few things to keep inmind:
1. You may salivate more heavily for the next several days,until your mouth is accustom to the presence of the new prosthesis.
2. You may feel awkward when talking or speaking certainwords, at first. With practice, your tongue will be trained to accommodatearound the prosthesis and your phonic will become normal, again. Reading outloud may help expedite the process.
3. Sore spots are normal. Please give us a call to have yourprosthesis adjusted, as necessary. We want to make sure that you will be ableto use your new teeth, as comfortably as possible.
4. Occasionally, due to the morphology of the underlying jawbone, the use of adhesive cream or paste may be required to attain satisfactoryretention.
5. Keep your prosthesis soak in a water bath, with denturecleansing tablet, when not in use, especially during bed time.
6. Leave your new teeth out, during bed time, allowing yourgum to breath regain normal circulation.
7. Clean your denture with a toothbrush and hand/liquidsoap, over a half-filled sink or bucket of water, prior to each use.
8. Avoid chewing gum or eating sticky foods.
New full or partialDenture Instructions-in Detail
Introduction
I believe that youwill be very successful with your new full denture or removable partial denture.When you begin to wear your new prosthesis there is an adjustment period whereyour usual mouth functions may need to be relearned. These include chewing,speech, swallowing, appearance of lip posture, and ridge comfort. The followingsuggestions may help you in adapting to your new prosthesis and in maintainingit.
Discomfort
Avoid pain by startingwith easy but nutritious food to eat. Examples of a softer diet can includefish, eggs, cottage cheese, cooked potatoes, oranges and apple sauce. If you havediscomfort, remove the denture and massage the painful area with your finger.Let the gums rest and then replace the denture. Continue to use your prosthesisuntil your next visit. If you fail to wear the denture, no sore will be visibleand precise adjustments will be very difficult.
Chewing
Try to chew with foodon both sides of your mouth. If food is bilaterally placed, the denture will beless likely to tip. Try not to bite with the front teeth as this may cause the backend of the denture to move off the gums. Biting with the side teeth will givebetter stability. Holding the top denture up with the tongue while chewingrequires talent but this habit can be very useful.
Swallowing
Pain during swallowingmay simply require a minor denture base adjustment.
Saliva
With the stimulus of newdentures your mouth may have more or less saliva for a few days. Be patient andthe flow will return to normal.
Speech
Speech is a verycomplicated and dynamic process involving all parts of the airway and mouth.Your denture has been constructed to meet the demands of stability and retentionduring speech. Fortunately, people are very adaptable and speech sounds verygood at the time of delivery. If speech does not sound right to you, give it sometime and normal body adaptation will resolve your concerns. Practice readingaloud. Do not focus undue attention on the process.
Cleaning
To remove food debrisand bacterial plaque from your prosthesis, brush vigorously with a stiffdenture brush. Use either soap and water, tooth paste or a commercially availabledenture cleaning agent. The effervescent soaking solutions are also useful.Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Wash your denture over a basin of wateror a cloth. If they are dropped on a hard surface, the acrylic portion mayfracture and any metal may bend.
Sleep
In general, take thedentures out or at least remove the lower denture for the night. This will allowthe gums to rest. If this causes the jaw joints to hurt replace the denturesand use your best judgment for comfortable
sleep.
Recall
Post deliveryfollow-up usually requires three visits. More are available as needed. Afterthe first year, annual recall visits are useful to monitor changes in the shapeof the ridges, wear of the teeth and general oral health. If there are problemswith pain, chewing, or with wear or breakage of the base or teeth, please makean appointment with the office at your earliest opportunity.