A denture that no longer stays in place

When you received your denture, it fitted tightly. You learned to speak with it, eat with it, and then stopped thinking about it. Year after year, it began to move. A breadcrumb slips underneath. The adhesive you apply in the morning does not last until evening. You cut food into small pieces, and meals with other people have become a source of worry.

You may tell yourself it is your fault or that the denture was poorly made. Often, the first thing to understand is simpler: what lies beneath the denture has changed.

A complete denture rests on the ridge, the area of gum-covered bone where the teeth used to be. After the teeth are lost, this ridge can gradually reduce. The denture retains the shape for which it was made. It may therefore end up resting on a support whose contours are no longer exactly the same. The way the jaws meet may also change.

This does not explain every unstable denture. Wear, a crack, dry mouth, an irritated area of gum, or the bite may also matter. The assessment is precisely what distinguishes these causes instead of choosing a solution from the movement of the denture alone.

# From adjustment to implant-retained solutions

The first path may be to adapt the base of the denture to the current ridge, a process called relining. Sometimes the condition of the denture or changes in the mouth make a new denture more appropriate.

When the bone and gum allow it, a removable denture may also be retained by implants. It is still removed for cleaning, but the implants improve its retention. In some situations, a fixed solution supported by several implants may be considered. These options are neither automatic nor interchangeable; depending on the chosen plan, they may also require referral.

The differences between them begin with the bone that remains beneath the gum, in both height and thickness. The condition of the tissues, general health, healing time, possible maintenance, and cost then come into the decision. A well-fitting denture is sometimes the most reasonable answer. An implant-supported solution may be reasonable in another mouth. No one can decide before examining the ridge.

The article Implant, bridge or denture compares the main types of solution. The page about full-arch implant rehabilitation explains a more complex fixed option without presenting it as suitable for everyone.

# What the assessment should clarify

• What is happening: the shape of the ridge, the condition of the gum, the condition of the denture, and the way you close your mouth.
• What needs prompt attention: gum that is sore, painful or irritated beneath the denture.
• The reasonable options: adapting the denture, making a new one, retaining it with implants, or another prosthetic solution, depending on the examination.
• The steps: caring for the tissues, any healing times, making the prosthesis, and follow-up checks.
• The plan: if treatment is being considered, the information needed to order the steps and establish the cost after the evaluation.

The assessment is carried out by Dr Fatima Azelmat, a dental surgeon in Kenitra. The Dental implants in Kenitra page explains that bone volume and the gum are assessed before any implant decision. The Fees page provides general guidance; the cost for your situation depends on the chosen plan. Scheduling an assessment does not commit you to any treatment.