• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

    Register now to access all the features of the forum.

Partial Denture problems

F

flossy

Junior member
Joined
Jul 21, 2009
Messages
2
Location
London
Hi, This is my first post on here and am wondering if anyone can offer any advice. Sorry for the long post!!

My other half is 40 and had his 4 upper front teeth removed three weeks ago and got an immediate partial denture.

All went well for just over a week but then one morning he woke up to find the denture sitting much higher in his mouth than it should have been and very loose. Seems that the gums had been healing / reduced swelling so now the denture just does not fit. He contacted his dentist only to be told that he would have to wait a week for an appointment.

He has spent the last week removing the partial as soon as he gets in from work as it is just moving around in his mouth and very uncomfortable. When he does wear it he struggles to speak unless he flicks it up higher with his tongue and finds it impossible to eat. He tried polygrip adhesive strips but this made his mouth very sore and uncomfortable as it is just sticking a partial that doesn't fit. When it is up higher it is totally out of line with his other teeth.

Anyway he had his appointment at the dentist today expecting to be able to get a soft reline to correct his problem only to be told that they don't do soft relines and that he will have to wait another month (gums have not healed enough apparantly) and then have a hard reline which will mean him being without his front teeth for two days:o.

I suppose really my question is - are these problems normal with partial dentures? I understand that after extraction the gums will take time to heal and his mouth would change but thought that there would be more that the dentist could do to make things more comfortable until he has a new partial in 6 months. At the moment he struggles through his day at work then remove it to eat a proper meal in the evening and be able to speak with out it flapping around in his mouth.

To be told that he has to wait another month before anything can be done was not what he was hoping to hear!

Any advice appreciated:).
 
Hi, I have an immediate partial denture but on the bottom to replace 6 front teeth. I have to admit that when I first had my extractions it fit like a glove but as a few weeks went by the fit became very different. It began to fit looser and not as secure. I asked my dentist but we could not do a full soft reline until weeks later because of the ever-changing gums after extractions. Does the partial you are talking about have metal hooks? If so, they can adjust the hooks for a tighter fit around the teeth holding it in place.

The other option is to see if there is a dentist in the area in which you live equipped to do a temporary soft reline. It is similar to a soft reline but will last only a month to three months. This will act as a cushion on the gum tissues as well.

I can relate to those days of having sore spots and wanting to rip the partial out as soon as I got home. Check with your dentist again because there has to be at least some adjustments that can be made for a more stable fit.
 
Hi,

Thank you very much for your reply.

Yes, his partial does have the metal hooks. The dentist did adust it slightly today but said that it couldn't be adjusted any further. He says that this adjustment hasn't made any difference. The dentist suggested putting the polygrip strips on the front / top of the plate to keep in in place. So he did that this evening and has gone off to bed with it in to see what it's like.

Maybe it would be a good idea for him to see if he can find another dentist in the area that can do a temporary reline like you mention. I will talk to him tomorrow.

From what you say it sounds as though what he is going through is pretty common, perhaps he just expected too much from it, in thinking that it would either fit or could be adjusted to fit in this short amount of time????? It must be so infuriating to have your front teeth moving around everytime you speak and eat. He seems to be in a no win situation, either have front teeth which don't fit or go without and feel very self concious.

Thanks again for your help.
 
Best of luck to him. I had my extractions in March and now just this past month or two I can honestly say that I have the best fit I have had in a long time. I did not use poligrip but I imagine that having thepartial on top it is needed. I know exactly how he feels and I know there are some others on this board that have top partials and may be able to give better insight and suggestions.

I do suggest thought to return to the dentist or look for one more willing to help.
 
Back
Top