There are many people who think that getting dentures means they shouldn’t go to the dentist anymore. After all, a dentist is a tooth doctor, right? The truth is, though, that dentists can help in many ways if you have dentures. Here are eight good reasons to keep visiting the dentist if you have dentures.
Gum Disease
You may not have any teeth anymore, but you still have gums, and gum infections can still be serious. Infected gums can contribute to your risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and may be linked to accelerated development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Gum disease often develops around your teeth, but it can still develop even if you don’t have teeth, creating a chronic inflammatory condition. But regular dental visits can help check for gum disease and help prevent it as it develops.
Help Maintaining Dentures
Just like your teeth, dentures need proper maintenance to give you the best service. Visiting your dentist regularly gives you opportunities to learn more about the right ways to maintain your dentures. A dentist can look at your dentures and your mouth and give you tips about how to take better care of both.
Professional Cleanings
Dentures, like natural teeth, can acquire hard mineral deposits that can’t easily be removed by you at home. These deposits can make your dentures look unattractive and may contribute to smells or unhealthy conditions. And if you try to remove the deposits at home you can damage your dentures. But if you bring your dentures in for a professional cleaning, we can make sure they are clean and attractive.
Bite Evaluation
Your dentures have to perform the same role as your teeth in supporting your face and jaw. If your dentures don’t fit together properly, it can encourage the development of TMJ or sleep apnea, both of which are serious health conditions. But having your dentures evaluated regularly will ensure that they are holding your jaw in a healthy position.
As your dentures wear down, and as your body loses bone in response to dentures, your bite can change, so it’s important to get your bite evaluated regularly.
Check on Denture Supporting Tissue
Your gums aren’t really supposed to support your teeth, so they can sometimes suffer as a result of wearing dentures. A visit to the dentist allows us to look at your tissues and make sure they’re holding up under the strain.
Oral Cancer Screening
Oral cancer develops in people without teeth, too. And sometimes more often, since poorly fitting dentures can contribute to an elevated cancer risk. Regular dental visits can help spot oral cancer in its early stages when it’s most treatable.
Adjustments and Repairs
Dentures get worn and damaged over time, and they can lose their fit as your body removes bone from under them. Regular dental visits let us check up on your dentures to make sure they are still in good shape and still fitting properly.
It’s good to have someone else check on this because you might not notice the gradual changes in your dentures.
Consider New Options
Another good reason to regularly see your dentist is to consider whether you might not want dentures anymore–or maybe you want them different. Keeping a dialogue with your dentist open puts you in an ideal position to learn about options that can improve or even replace your dentures, such as implant dentures and others.
If you are looking for a Westchester County enture dentis offering the latest technologies and options for you, please call (914) 526-2144 for an appointment at Advanced Dentistry of Mohegan Lake.
