Adjusting to New Dentures: How Often You Should See a Dentist

Adjusting to new dentures can involve several changes to a person's routine. One thing that should stay the same, however, is regular dentist appointments. Here is what a new patient needs to know about the importance of dentist appointments and how often he or she needs to visit the dentist after receiving dentures.

Regular dentist appointments

One commonly asked question is whether a patient who has a full set of dentures needs to visit a dentist regularly since they no longer have real teeth. It makes sense that a person would need a follow-up appointment after they get dentures, as there may be adjustments to be made and it can be good to check-in and make sure everything is working as it should. While these initial check-ins are important, after a patient has finished adjusting to new dentures, regular appointments will still be needed in the following years to ensure that the mouth remains healthy. This means that a person should go at least once, and preferably twice, a year for a routine checkup. Regular appointments should be considered a necessity, regardless of whether a person has partial or full dentures.

Denture-specific appointments

There are certain situations when a person with dentures may need to visit the dentist more than someone with a full set of teeth. With all the use they undergo, including chewing food and being worn every day, all dentures wear out eventually. When this happens, appointments will need to be scheduled to get a replacement option created.

Additionally, sometimes dentures shift and become looser over time. In these circumstances, adjustments from the dentist may be needed to ensure that they are still comfortable for the patient to wear. Similarly, the dentist may spot areas of damage on the dentures and be able to repair them before it becomes serious. This helps the dentures last much longer than if they were left without examination. Some dentists may even offer to give the dentures a deep cleaning as part of the checkup.

Oral health checks

Besides checking in on and maintaining the dentures, it is also important to keep up with regular dentist appointments to help stay on top of oral health. Dentists do more than just examine the teeth during a checkup. They also check on the gums, jaw, and other parts of the mouth. No matter how many teeth a patient has left, dentist appointments help prevent serious problems by catching any issues early on. If a patient has partial dentures, the dentist will deep clean the remaining teeth to help keep them healthy. If there are no remaining teeth, the dentist can still watch for issues such as gum disease and infections.