Having missing teeth can impact your overall quality of life. Dentures are an effective way to help regain a full and wholesome diet as well as boost confidence. There are several misconceptions out there about dentures, and some of them can deter people from getting them as they believe they are true. Here we’ll bring light to some common myths about dentures to help you make an informed and educated decision about getting them.
Myth 1 – You can’t eat properly with dentures
This myth is simply not true. Yes, you can expect to feel discomfort and you may even get a couple of mouth sores when you first start wearing them, but that’s about the extent of it. You can most certainly eat properly with dentures. Having no teeth or missing teeth can affect your ability to bite into foods and chew them. While dentures may feel unusual, to begin with, soon enough, you get accustomed to them, and they’ll feel like a new normal. In the beginning, when you first get dentures, you’ll usually start off with a liquid and soft food diet and then slowly introduce harder foods. After a couple of weeks, the gums would have had sufficient time to heal, and the facial muscles have had time to adjust. At this point, you can begin eating foods that you perhaps haven’t for a long time, such as crunchy apples and carrots.
Myth 2 – Dentures are inferior to dental implants
Dental implants are sophisticated dental prostheses but they aren’t suited to everyone’s mouth or budget. While highly effective and permanent, dental implants can be expensive and coming up with the money to get them done can be a challenge for some patients. Some medical conditions or excessive bone loss can prevent you from being a suitable candidate for dental implants. Dentures provide a non-invasive and budget-friendly alternative
Myth 3 – Dentures take a long time to fix if they need repairing
Another myth we can debunk today is that denture repairs take a considerable amount of time, leaving you with no teeth in the meantime! While you may have been in this predicament many years ago or had to buy a backup pair, this isn’t the case today. Dentures are designed for daily use and can last for more than 7 years when looked after correctly but, if for some reason your dentures sustain a crack or break, you can get them repaired on the same day with a prosthodontist that has a lab onsite. For those who believe this myth, the thought of having to go without teeth for an extended period can be very off-putting, and understandably so.
Myth 4 – You can tell when someone has dentures because of how fake they look
Gone are the days of clunky, fake-looking teeth. Modern-day dentures are virtually undetectable nowadays. Sophisticated fabricating technology allows prosthodontists to customise and create dentures that resemble your real teeth and fit like a glove. They contour to the mouth to provide you with a secure and comfortable fit. This means that the likelihood of someone detecting that you wear dentures without you telling them is highly unlikely. Having a full, natural-looking smile can give people a whole new lease on life and regain the confidence that they once lost with an incomplete smile.
Myth 5 – Only old people wear dentures
This myth typically stems from the fact that older people are the most common uses of dentures however, they are not the only ones who can use them. People of all ages can wear dentures if they need to. Illness, injuries, and disease can all compromise the integrity of the teeth and their positioning in the mouth. Many younger people wear full or partial dentures, and unless they tell you, it’s unlikely that you’ll even notice.
Myth 6 – Dentures slip out of position all the time
This may have been true many moons ago, but denture technology is now more advanced than ever. By working with your dental prosthetist and letting them know if your dentures don’t feel right or they feel a little loose, you can avoid this scenario altogether. They can make changes if needed to provide you with the ultimate fit. Once your dentures are fitted properly, it’s a good idea to get them relined often. You can use denture adhesive if this is something you are concerned about, or for a more permanent fixture, you can get implant-retained dentures. They work by placing four dental implants in the gums and positioning the dentures onto a fixed plate.
Dentures have come a long way over the years, and they surpass older versions ten-fold in quality, appearance and how they sit and feel in the mouth. Regardless of this, they are still stereotyped as a second-class dental prosthetic solution. Like these myths, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
If you are considering dentures, we hope that this post has cleared up any apprehensions you may have had about getting them. If you’d like to discuss your options with a professional and you are located on the Gold Coast, contact us here at Denture Care Professionals Australia to book an appointment at a time that suits you. We offer customised dentures and a breadth of other services, and we’d love to help you create the perfect smile.
