Post OP instructions for immediate dentures
Immediate dentures are complete or partial dentures made in advance, to be placed immediately following tooth extractions. They help patients avoid going without teeth during the healing process. We commonly use immediate dentures when anterior teeth are extracted or when full-mouth extractions are completed.
The first day
Do not remove your immediate denture during the first 24 hours after initial placement. The denture will act as bandage during the initial healing of the surgical area. If the denture is removed too early during this period, the gums will swell and make it very difficult to get the denture back into place.
Take your pain medication (usually ibuprofen and / or acetaminophen) as directed. It is helpful to take the first dose as soon as possible so it is in your system before the numbness wears off.
It is normal for some bleeding to occur during the first 2-3 days. If you have excessive bleeding, contact your dentist immediately.
Be sure to clean the rest of your mouth and any remaining natural teeth as usual.
Do not spit forcefully during the first 24 hours after initial placement. If you need to remove liquid from your mouth, let it drool out gently over a sink.
At the end of 24 hours remove the denture and use a warm salt water rinse to gently clean your mouth.
Often times, the first removal and reinsertion of the dentures may feel tight and sore. Try to use your finger to un-suction the denture by applying pressure on the very back outer corner. Gently apply pressure down (for an upper, up for a lower) on this corner, until you feel the denture dislodge, then continue forward and do a similar motion on the other side. The exact way your denture most easily comes out is dependent on your mouth’s unique shape. After a couple of times, you will know just what to do.
Initially there may be very dark blood inside your denture. This is normal. You may also develop some dark spots inside your mouth or on your face over the area of the surgery. This condition, called ecchymosis, typically goes away in a few days.
Brush your denture inside and out with non abrasive soap and rinse well with warm water. Put some clean warm water in your mouth and use your tongue to gently scrub the gums that were covered by the denture. Do not spit; let the water drool out of your mouth into the sink. Put your denture back in place (this may feel tight at first) and press it on to your gums for 10 seconds. Close together, swallow, and hold together an additional 10 seconds to correctly seat the denture.
Eating during the recovery period
It is very important to maintain good nutrition during the healing process. Drink plenty of fluids, avoiding soda and alcohol.
Water, ensure, and protein shakes are great options.
Solid options include oatmeal or Cream of Wheat cereal, scrambled eggs, meat broths and vegetable soups. Yogurt, jello, applesauce and cottage cheese are also good options. Frozen yogurt is also a good treat.
After the first or second day you can slowly increase the consistency of the food. Start with very soft foods like small “well done” pastas, well-cooked carrots and green beans, mashed potatoes, creamed vegetables, soups, well-cooked fruits (no seeds), canned fruits, scrambled or soft-boiled eggs, and soft meat like tuna salad.
Cut your food into small pieces and eat slowly. Eating with a denture is very different from eating with natural teeth. You may find it helpful to put food on both sides of your back teeth and chew straight up and down.
Biting food off is generally better done at the corners of the mouth instead of the very front as is common with natural teeth. However, it is hard to predict exactly what biting and chewing movements will be best for you because they vary widely from person to person. You will soon learn what works best for you.
Be patient with yourself. Certain sounds may be hard to pronounce when you first get your denture. Over time your speech will improve. B
Having a denture in your mouth can be overwhelming at first. Our mouths are designed to detect even very small foreign objects. Therefore, something as large a denture can be quite a “shock.” You will probably notice additional saliva in your mouth. This is because objects in the mouth are usually food so saliva is increased to aid the eating process. It may take a couple of weeks for your mouth to realize the denture is now “part of you.” In most cases, a lower denture will cause more problems than an upper denture. Even with a “perfect fit,” the shape of the lower gums prevents suction, so a lower denture feels looser than an upper denture. A denture adhesive may be of help in this case.
For the first 5 days, keep your immediate denture in at all times except to clean.
After the first 5 days, it is best to leave the denture out at night and let it soak in a denture cleanser. This allows the gums to relax and maintain optimal health.
As the gums heal and shrink, the bone is also healing and remodeling. Over time the denture and the gums become mismatched. This change is especially great during the first 6 months to a year following the removal of natural teeth. This is why immediate dentures are often termed “interim” or “temporary” as we expect the need to replace once the bone healing “remodeling” is complete.
Sometimes only a reline may be needed versus making an entirely new denture. A reline is a procedure in which additional denture acrylic material is added to the part of the denture that contacts the gums so that the denture once again closely conforms to the shape of the mouth.