At NOLA Dentures and General Dentistry, we make quite a few new dentures for our patients in New Orleans. While a well-made denture can undoubtedly last for many years, eventually, dentures do wear out and have to be remade. One of the most common questions I get asked is “when is it time for a new set of dentures?” About half the time, it is obvious that a new denture needs to be made, such as when a denture is broken and unwearable or has holes in it.
However, I want to discuss the other half of the time when it isn’t so obvious. The three ways that I determine whether or not to make a new denture are by evaluating the fit, checking the bite, and discussing it with the patient.
1. Evaluating Denture Fit
The fit is the easiest way to evaluate how a denture is doing. Dentures in New Orleans rely on the gums and jawbone for support. I generally expect a good suction on the top denture in patients with prominent gums and ridges. With the bottom denture or an upper denture with good bone support, I would expect little to no movement if you were to press down on the back teeth of the denture.
The biggest problem I encounter is with people who use adhesive to fill in significant gaps between the denture and the gums. I’ve had some patients use one or two small bottles of adhesive a day. While the dentures are certainly snug, my concern is that chewing forces are not evenly distributed in the mouth, which can cause the bone to be lost more quickly. I also find that these dentures usually are not as comfortable with this much adhesive as a well-fitting pair would be, as they tend to pinch the gums in certain spots.
2. Evaluating Denture Bite
The bite is a more complicated problem to detect in a set of older dentures. Generally, this is not a problem in a person with a complete upper and lower plate unless the fit is poor, which, as I described above, is easier to determine. In most well-used upper and lower full plate patients, I will generally see well-worn grooves in the teeth, which can tell me how the person chews with the denture.
I see the bite problems more often in my patients with partial dentures, as they have difficulty chewing real teeth against denture teeth. While overall, chewing is usually easier with partials compared to complete dentures, the partial rarely feels as comfortable during chewing to patients as they feel chewing with natural teeth, which can be frustrating for first-time partial wearers.
Also, when a patient has a lower partial against an upper complete denture, I find that usually, the natural remaining teeth will wear through the denture much faster than the denture teeth wear through themselves. The bite changes as the upper denture wears unevenly, making the prosthetic challenging to wear. As these dentures wear, generally, the face starts to lose structure support and appear more sunken.
3. The Patient's Perspective
Finally, I think the patients themselves are the most essential part of deciding when to remake a denture. I evaluate whether or not a person should get a new denture by asking the simple question, “What do you (the patient) think can be improved by making a new denture?” If I can’t improve anything, I’d rather not make a new denture.
I’ve had some patients who have beaten up their dentures so much that I’m surprised they still fit, but as the patients still like the dentures, I don’t recommend making a new denture. I’ve also gladly remade other dentures for patients who only wanted whiter teeth on their dentures despite them being in great shape and fitting well.
I strongly advocate letting the patient decide on the treatment because, ultimately, they are the ones wearing this, and it’s their smile, and they know what they want. Getting a new set of dentures changes how your smile and face will look, which is often a very personal decision that needs to be made by the patient.
Denture Repair vs. New Dentures
So, the final takeaways and factors each patient should consider as they think about making a new denture or considering denture repair are:
- Does your current denture fit snugly and comfortably without movement or slippage while talking or eating?
- Can you bite and chew food with ease with your current denture? Are you able to enjoy all the foods you love?
- How do you feel about the appearance and quality of your current dentures? Do they still look good? Are they in good repair?
Answer those questions yourself and have them ready when you book an evaluation with me. Together, we can determine the best treatment option for your smile, lifestyle, and budget.
Call Our New Orleans Dental Office
If you have an older denture and are unsure whether to have a new one made, I hope this blog post has given you some ways to evaluate what you have right now. As dentures wear out, making a new denture is an excellent plan for many patients. If you have any questions about whether you could benefit from new dentures, please contact your trusted dentist in New Orleans at (504) 392-5104, and we will do our best to help you.