Forgetting to smile
Nicholas Fournier, DD
Life is busy.
Finding time for ourselves is incredibly difficult and as we grow older, seems nearly impossible. Before you know it, your children are planning their retirement, and you have forgotten to take care of yourself; your health is the last thing on your mind, especially your dental health.
When was the last time you looked in the mirror and smiled? Does your smile look worn-out or is it tilting to one side and looking uneven? How long have you had your dentures? Are they stained, cracked, repaired, worn down or have tartar and bacteria build-up?
Prosthetic teeth wearers are encouraged to get regular check-ups to ensure that their oral health is optimal and check for any adverse effects. It may not be necessary to replace prosthetic teeth every five years but making sure that they are in good working order is essential. When patients put their oral health aside for too long, they may find it difficult to regain optimal oral health and the proper function of their prosthetic teeth. These few steps can guarantee an excellent smile for years to come.
Here is a scenario. I often hear patients say that their dentures are comfortable and that they love them. I would usually agree to let things go since there are no problems, but the reality is that things could be deteriorating without patients realizing it. When this happens, the key is to begin regaining comfort and maintaining a beautiful smile. One of the issues caused by keeping your dentures in place for too long is that your teeth and bone begin to deteriorate and fade away leading to, among other things, a misshapen mouth. Once the damage is too foregone, it is difficult to bring your teeth and your jawbone back to their normal, healthy state. The normal wear and tear of the regular use of dentures, close to five years, is between 1 and 2 mm with up to 1 mm of bone loss, totalling almost half a centimetre. This has a detrimental impact on the shape and the function of a patient’s mouth; so much so, that regaining optimal health can be problematic. Remember, you must continually care for your smile so that it remains healthy and bright. The goal of a new smile is to restore your mouth’s natural biomechanics, regain optimal oral health and get back to smiling confidently.
Don’t let your smile fade away; always ensure that oral health is at the top of your list, for you and your smile. The goal of prosthetic teeth is to restore the mouth’s biomechanics and keep our patients comfortable and happy, not to mention making sure that their smile is as natural as possible.