Implant dentures might feel strange at first, which is normal for any dental prosthetic being placed in your mouth. The good news is that compared to traditional dentures, which are infamous for taking a very long time to get used to, the adjustment period for implant dentures is much shorter. Before you get your new teeth, your dentist can go over the basics of adjusting to implant dentures and give you some tips that can help speed up the process.
The Basics of Adjusting to Implant Dentures
The first thing to keep in mind is that the amount of time needed to adjust to new teeth won’t be the same for everyone. Some patients take longer than others to get used to implant dentures, especially if they’ve gone a long time without replacing your teeth. Your dentist may be able to give you an estimate of how long it will take, but at the very least it is safe to assume that adjustment won’t happen overnight.
The Adjustment Process
It takes about four to six months for your jawbone to fully heal around dental implants. Depending on what implant placement technique is used, you might be able to receive dentures right away, or you might have to wait until your mouth has sufficiently healed. Which technique is used can end up affecting the adjustment process, particularly when it comes to eating with your new dentures.
After the initial surgery, you may feel some discomfort in your mouth. This will fade over time, and any serious pain should be gone after two weeks. If the discomfort persists any longer than that, it’s not normal; call your dentist right away for help.
Getting Used to Eating with Implant Dentures
You can start eating with your new dentures as soon as they’re attached to your dental implants. If your dentures were placed on the same day on your implant surgery, you’ll need to limit yourself to soft foods for several months until the area around your dental implant has fully healed. By the time your mouth has fully recovered, you’ll become acclimated enough to eating with dentures that crunchier or chewy foods will not provide much of an obstacle. Most patients find that it only takes a few meals to get used to eating with dentures that stay in place.
Getting Used to Speaking with Implant Dentures
Most people actually require little if any time to get used to speaking with implant dentures. This is because implant dentures always stay in place, unlike traditional dentures that often slip. As such, speaking with implant dentures isn’t much different than speaking with your natural teeth.
If you have questions about what life will be like after you get your implant dentures, talk to your dentist. They can give you additional tips for adjusting to dentures and help you with any problems that come up. It shouldn’t be too long before you can fully enjoy all the benefits of your new implant-supported smile.
About the Practice
At Island City Dental in Wilton Manors, we don’t just give our patients beautiful smiles; we also give them peace-of-mind thanks to our excellent customer service and trustworthy, transparent dental care. We can give patients traditional implant dentures, but we also offer Teeth-in-a-Day, which allows us to place a full set of teeth on the same day as implant surgery. To learn more about the implant denture process, visit our website or call (954) 564-7121.