2 Tips To Prevent Bone Atrophy While Wearing Dentures
Posted on: 1 March 2016
Bone atrophy occurs when your jaw bone begins to shrink in size. Your jaw bone can easily begin to erode because of any added stress. Your jaw bone will also quickly shrink if it is constantly experiencing any extreme force. This process is common in denture wearers because the dentures add an added layer of stress to the bone in the mouth. Therefore, if it is not caught and prevented early on, this can lead to a number of dental problems down the line. Luckily, there are a few tips that you can use to prevent bone atrophy while wearing dentures.
Avoid Grinding Your Dentures and Teeth
One of the easiest ways to place unnecessary stress on your jaw bone is by grinding your teeth. Teeth grinding occurs when your bottom and top teeth rub against each other. Teeth grinding can still occur when you wear dentures. The grinding will not only eat away at natural teeth, but it will place an undue amount of stress on your jaw bone. After a while, your jawbone will begin to wear away until nothing is left. Teeth grinding can be difficult to pinpoint since it frequently happens when you are sleeping. If you wake up in the morning with a sore or stiff jaw, then you may be experiencing teeth grinding. An easy way to avoid teeth grinding is by making sure your body is relaxed before sleep. You can ensure this by drinking a lavender or chamomile tea before bed.
Stick to Foods that Are Easy to Chew
When you wear dentures the foods that you choose to consume are important since sticky and hard foods can damage the dentures. However, hard foods can also cause damage to your jaw bone. Trying to chew hard foods while wearing dentures will place force from the hard food and denture against your jaw bone. This force that is created from the hard food will slowly dissolve your jaw bone under pressure. Eating hard foods every once in a while will not be a big deal. However, you should make sure that tough meats are cooked long enough to ensure that they are easy to eat. In addition, avoid hard candies. Foods like soups and mashed potatoes will help to give your dentures and jaw bone a rest.
Once your jaw bone dissolves, it cannot grow back on its own. Therefore, it is important to take the necessary steps to prevent bone atrophy. For more information, contact Benjamin D Hull DDS or a similar dental professional.
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