Dentures are supposed to help people who have lost their teeth, but the unfortunate truth is that dentures often result in significant pain for wearers. How? Let us count the ways . . .

 

Loose, Rubbing Dentures

One common problem with poorly fitting dentures is that they slide around in the mouth, which causes painful friction. It can also cause lateral pressure, pushing on your gums from the side, causing sores in places your dentures aren’t supposed to be putting pressure.

Dentures rubbing gums can be very frustrating, because it’s a kind of denture pain that often recurs once it’s been resolved. That’s because the body resorbs the bone that supported your teeth, so dentures that used to fit can lose their fit.

Loose, rubbing dentures can cause denture sores that won’t heal until you stop the rubbing.

Tight, Pinching Dentures

On the other hand, dentures could be fitted so that they pinch your gums too tightly. This pain won’t last, usually, but that’s not good because it means that your dentures are causing your gums to recede and your bones to resorb (disappear) faster than they should.

Imbalanced Pressure

Dentures should be set up so that they divide pressure from chewing across your entire mouth. But if dentures aren’t designed properly, you might have local areas where your gums are subjected to more force than others, creating painful pinch points where your gums might full recede and expose your bone underneath. Other times, this uneven bone pressure can cause your body to remove bone faster, which causes them to lose their fit more rapidly.

Sharp Bone Pain

Speaking of bones, your bones can actually be a cause of denture pain, too. Sometimes it’s related to the extraction of your teeth, which can leave bone fragments trapped in your gums, or cause sharp points in the ridge of bone that used to support your teeth.

Burning Mouth Syndrome

Burning mouth syndrome is when you experience a moderate to severe burning sensation in the mouth, often related to your dentures. This can be caused by poor denture fit, which causes the denture to irritate particular nerves, or it might be related to oral infections, such as Candida or gum disease. It might even be related to an allergic reaction to denture materials.

Your dentist should investigate these potential causes of burning mouth syndrome, as well as inspect your gums for sores.

TMJ

Unlike most types of denture pain, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) can cause pain outside your mouth. It causes jaw pain and even recurring headaches because your dentures are putting your jaw in an uncomfortable position that strains muscles and pinches nerves.

Fixing this isn’t just a question of getting better-fitting dentures. You have to work with a dentist who understands the neuromuscular interactions between your jaw and your headaches. Your dentist must design dentures that provide balanced forces between the different elements in your bite system. The good news? This can resolve other TMJ symptoms, too, such as ear pain, vertigo or dizziness, neck pain, and more.

Embarrassment

And, of course, we can’t neglect the emotional pain that many people experience because their dentures are just too embarrassing. They hide their smile and may not even go out in public anymore. Dentures can contribute to antisocial behavior and loneliness.

How to Cure Denture Pain

Most causes of denture pain have simple fixes. One easy fix over the short term is simply wearing your dentures less often, especially taking them out overnight. If this doesn’t work, you might need to look for more involved solutions.

For example, pain caused by loose dentures, tight dentures, TMJ, or imbalanced dentures can be relieved by getting dentures that fit better. The Dentures Fountain of Youth® are fitted using some of the most modern tools and techniques in dentistry, allowing for an amazing fit. When paired with dental implants, they can also protect against sharp bone pain. And because FOY® Dentures are made with the most attractive materials using the latest techniques in cosmetic dentistry, they are never an embarrassment.

To learn whether FOY® Dentures can help with your denture pain, please call (843) 706-2999 for an appointment with a Hilton Head denture dentist at Beyond Exceptional Dentistry.