Dentures a poor fit, what are my options.

Mabel2012

Hi, I’m looking for some dental advice.

I have had an upper chrome denture with two front teeth for almost twenty years. It followed a temporary acrylic denture which I wore for 6 months. Both fitted well and I was happy with them. A few years ago I lost two teeth on each upper left and right hand side where the denture clips were located. My excellent fitting denture was no longer an excellent fit. Late last year I decided to get a new chrome denture.

I attended the dentist that removed my teeth a couple of years ago and have had five fittings to date. After the first try on of the new denture I told the dentist that it did not seem to fit as well as my old denture. He told me they could tweak it until it fitted properly. Some tweaking done: two front teeth were too small.and did not match my old denture colour which perfectly matched my original teeth. The bite on the left didn’t match. I had the fifth fitting today and it does not fit snugly. One side is looser than the other and there is a discernible seam between my palate and the metal plate that I can feel with my tongue. This is not on my old metal denture, the join is seamless, The dentist is instructing the technician to tighten the clips in accordance with my comments.The denture now looks OK (tooth size and colour) but I’m still unhappy with the fit. The acrilic part of the denture is still soft but the final version will be hard acrylic. I don't know if the material will make any difference to the fit.

How much tweaking can a dentist/technician do to make it fit securely. And, can I reject the denture as not fit for purpose. I am spending a lot of money on this denture and decided on the chrome denture as I was very happy with my old one and the dentist said I may have problems getting accustomed to an acrylic denture after wearing a chrome one for so many years.

I have never been in this situation before so I don’t know what to do.

suki1964

I just had a new denture made after years of having teeth added to. the old original plate

And the fittings took months

There is a huge difference between the wax and the acrylic. I thought the wax one was still a bit loose and yet the final product was so tight, I couldn't wear it at all. Indeed I had to pop into the surgery to get them to remove it as I couldn't and it was so high I had developed ulcers

But as my mouth healed, I went back and another 30 mins in the chair I came home with a denture that fitted very snugly and looks pretty good

4 months down the line I have no problems with it whatsoever

I found the height of it annoying at first and I am still aware of a ridge, but as I say it no longer bothers me , my mouth and tongue have accepted it as normal

I would say don't give up on it yet, try the final product and let your dentist make finish tweaking it. he will prefer to go for a snug fitting which may feel really tight to you, but within a few weeks it will loosen

See my top plate was so old and loose I could flip it out with my tongue, this one I have now, I have to use my fingers and can only take it out from one side first, not the other

Mabel2012

suki1964 Thank you for replying.

I'm sorry your denture experience was so troublesome but I'm reassured somewhat by your end result. I don't think I'm quite as patient as you. It's not like buying a high fashion pair of stilettos where you are prepared to put up with a little discomfort for a few hours the few times you wear them. The denture will be worn every day and must feel comfortable and fit securely. Flapping dentures when eating is not elegant.

I only had 3/4 fittings for my old denture and it was perfect from day one. This dentist is new to the surgery since I last attended and has not filled me with confidence so far. He is very relaxed and I need to be emphatic about a problem before he takes note and acts. His reply is usually 'the final version will be OK'.

I'm worried that where the ridge exists it may allow food to get under the plate. When I touch the denture at the top of my mouth with my tongue there is movement of the denture. Does food get under your denture plate.

Owain_Moneysaver

If you go to a clinical dental technician they can supply and fit dentures directly to you, rather than following a dentist's prescription.

Getting your mouth 'measured' by the person who's also making the denture may give you a better fit or the opportunity to provide better feedback during the adjustment process.

brook2jack

A clinical denture technician cannot make partial dentures ie where there are some teeth left , except to a dentists prescription .

Clinical dental technicians will only make private dentures and a chrome denture is likely to be upwards of £1000

My understanding is that the dentures haven't been fitted yet they have only been tried in. At try in the teeth are set in wax so the fit is not as the denture will be when it is finished . That is so the teeth can be adjusted. However wax is bulkier and not as smooth as the eventual acrylic the teeth will eventually be finished in . The more teeth there are on a denture the more difficult it is to get bite etc right and the more difficult it will be for you to get used to it.

Dentures also need to bed in , they are made with grooves called post dams which sink into the soft parts of the palate after a week or so.

You have not even had the end dentures fitted yet . Give them a chance , they will feel very different from your comfy old pair of slipper , 20 year old dentures , they may need adjusting they will certainly need some perseverance to get used to . Your lips, toungue etc have been used to your own pair for decades , they will take time to get used to the new pair.

suki1964

I have to agree with Brook2jack

yes you are correct that you aren't buying a pair of shoes off the shelf, but your mouth has to accept a lump of metal or plastic and there will be problems at first, gums will be rubbed, teeth feel too tight, whatever. They will take a few adjustments and they will take a while to get used to

Mine were so tight at the start that I couldn't remove them myself. When I went back the following morning and a slight adjustment was made and I was shown how to remove them, I thought I was sorted. But nope, I still couldn't get them back in, so I put in my old ones and within those few days, my old ones were no longer fitting at all.

Your teeth move. Really by quite big amounts when you have a solid mass - ie a denture rubbing against them - as you have found out by losing the teeth the clips were attached too. Get clips again and the ones they clip on too will be gone within a few years. I no longer have clips but then over the course of 20 years from one tooth on a plate, Im down to four teeth holding the plate in

As Brook2jack says, as I did, get the finished dentures and give them a chance. Expect to have a few adjustments. My practice I only have to ring and Im seen that day, squeezed in between patients and never charged

My plate is private and I have to be honest and say I can not see how the dentist managed to get these made and fitted for what I was charged. I must have had around 4 hours in the chair from start to finish

Mabel2012

Thank you all for your replies. It seems I will have to allow a lot more time for fittings and further adjustments, even after I have the final denture. I haven't been given a price for the denture but the dentist spoke of a figure around £800. This is not available on the NHS and was not 20 years ago either.

There are two clips on the new denture, one either side. I think they are pink plastic as they don't feel strong like the metal clips on the old denture. I thought they had to be there for a good fit. Should I ask the dentist if they need to be there for a good fit. I dread the idea of losing more teeth and having to have a new denture in another 10 or so years.

Dealing directly with a dental technician would seem to be a good option. At the fourth fitting the dentist had to take photos showing my old denture in situ after a previous impression resulted in teeth too small and white and a too strong bite. Also, when I show and tell the dentist where one side is loose and the other looser It would make more sense doing that directly with the person who is making the denture.

suki1964

Mine were finished in November last year and still were 1/4 of the cost of yours - Private

My original plate did have the metal clips as it was just housing one tooth. Then as the ones that held the clips had to come out, the added teeth held the plate in situ

I never take my plate out - very naughty - and I have paid the price, the constant moving of it at night loosened the next ones along. Mind I had already lost a lot of bone structure so it was inevitable really. I guess if your oral hygiene is spot on you won't run into the problems I have

But a new denture will be inevitable I think because your mouth shape changes as you age. Saying that my last plate which was NHS did me proud for 20 odd years even though I had more and more teeth added. It just became far too loose so it had to go

Mabel2012

Getting old brings lots of problems but I suppose it's better than the alternative.