How to Adjust to Life With Dentures

Although dentures offer numerous benefits to people who have missing teeth, adjusting to them can take a while. As with most adults, you place a lot of importance on your smile because it’s the first thing people recognize when they see you. Perhaps you fear that dentures will standout and look unnatural, defeating the purpose of replacing your missing teeth. But nothing can be further than the truth, as dentures can now look just like your natural teeth.

If you’ve chosen a life with dentures, here’s how to adjust to them.

Remember That You’re Not Alone

If you think dentures are just for elderly people, you’re wrong. In fact, many adults in their 40s and 50s have either a partial or a full denture because of missing teeth. So if you feel embarrassed, you shouldn’t. Although you might initially feel like everyone notices your dentures, this is all in your head. Remember that!

Remain Patient and Persistent

As with any other major change in your life, it takes time to get used to it. When you start wearing your dentures, you might find that you have trouble pronouncing certain words and that your dentures ‘click’ when you speak. To help with pronunciation, practice saying difficult words out loud every day. If you notice the ‘click’ in your dentures, speak slower. With time, you’ll adjust to your new teeth.

Additionally, your dentures might occasionally slip when you smile, laugh or cough. You can fix this by gently biting down and swallowing to re-position your dentures. You could also use a small amount of denture adhesive to help keep them in place.

Adjusting to a life with dentures takes time, but there are many benefits to staying patience and persistent through the process.