When the subject of dentures comes up, people often think of commercials for denture adhesives. These commercials imply that everyone uses adhesives to keep their dentures in and that denture wearers run the risk of having dentures fall out at embarrassing times!

Actually, most patients wearing dentures don't use adhesives. Well-made dentures stay in on their own, as long as there is an adequate ridge of bone for support.

A loose denture is a sign that it no longer fits your mouth or works properly. If your dentures become loose, you should see your dentist immediately. Continuing to wear a poorly fitting denture will cause irritation to your gums and mouth, and can lead to infection over time. If you persist in wearing dentures that do not fit, your mouth may change shape and your ability to eat the foods you want and like will diminish.

A tip to keep in mind: you may feel your denture slip when you laugh, smile, or cough, particularly when your dentures are new. This slippage is caused by air suddenly getting under your denture base and moving it. The longer you wear your denture and become more comfortable with it, the better able you will be to control its movement in these situations.

Patients who DO need adhesives to hold their dentures in place usually have inadequate ridges on which to place their dentures. This can be due to several reasons. The most common reason is simply that they have been without natural teeth for too many years.

The alveolar ridge (the ridge of bone that used to hold the natural teeth) has one purpose - to hold natural teeth. Without natural teeth the alveolar ridge shrinks down from the height it started at to very little or no ridge at all, especially the lower ridge. This is call resorption. The more the ridge shrinks, the less it is able to hold on to a denture. The earlier in life a person loses their natural teeth, the sooner they will have problems with resorption of the alveolar ridges, until the ridges are so shrunken that they will no longer hold in a denture.

Lower dentures are much more likely to need adhesives for two reasons:

• Unlike the top denture, the lower denture is U-shaped, because it has to fit around the tongue. This gives it less surface area than the upper denture has, resulting (usually) in little or none of the "suction" that an upper denture has.

• The resorption process seems to be more accelerated on the lower ridge than on the upper. This is because the lower ridge has less bone to start with, and likely resorbs faster because of wearing a denture that doesn't stay in place as well as the upper denture does.

  One good way of keeping lower dentures in place is by using dental implants. Anchors for snap-on attachments are placed in the jawbone, and custom attachments are made to hold the denture to the implants. (the clear plastic seen here is just a lip and tongue retractor for the photo)

  
  
• While many of us remember grandparents or other older friends and neighbors whose dentures did indeed slip or require adhesives, today's dentures benefit from advances in dental and materials technology. Dentists work with respected laboratories where trained technicians make your personal dentures to the specifications that your dentist has provided. A good fit is crucial to enjoying life with your new dentures, and to letting others continue to enjoy your smile!

  See also Dentures