Tips For Dealing With Denture Sores

While dentures are great at improving your life with a great smile and the ability to eat the foods you love, they are not without their own set of problems. Your dentures can cause you discomfort in the form of sores from an improper fit. As your dentures see more wear and tear, and the shape of your gums change as you get older, those great fitting dentures may be unintentionally causing you a painful problem. You could develop an epulis fissuratum, which is essentially a lesion in the mouth. Here is what you need to know about oral sores caused by dentures.

How Are Denture Sores Spotted

The first step in identifying denture sores is to take a look in your mouth when you first start experiencing oral pain. A lesion will be a discolored, swollen area, since it is essentially a small oral tumor. It will resemble a small lump inside your mouth. You'll notice a fissure in the middle of the lesion in most cases. Keep in mind that you may have a lesion that doesn't cause any pain. The lump can cause dentures to not fit properly, causing them to become loose or slip around while wearing them.

In either situation, you'll want to have your mouth looked at by a dentist. Though you may think these lesions are no big deal and can go away on their own, know that they can potentially be cancerous. Have them identified at the first sign of problems instead of hoping that they go away on their own.

How Are Denture Sores Treated?

Until you can visit your dentist, you can try some home remedies to make your mouth feel better. Try switching to a toothbrush with soft bristles when brushing your gums and remaining teeth. A natural method to relieve pain is to use olive oil–soaked cloves on the lesions or to gargle sage tea.

When visiting your dentist, they may recommend visiting a surgeon to have the lesions removed with laser surgery. Then your dentist can work on getting your dentures to fit properly, which will be for your own comfort and to prevent future sores from occurring. This two-step treatment process will be necessary, because you cannot get dentures to fit properly if there are lesions that change size and disrupt the shape of your gums.

If you have any questions about identifying or treating denture sores, be sure to ask your dentist or contact a clinic like Dental Care Of Scottsburg - Randol O Woolbright Jr DDS.