Sillim-dong Dental Clinic – Do You Have to Put Up with Painful Dentures?

Hello. I’m Kang Dong-ho, director of 연세유라인치과의원 Sillim-dong Branch, located near Sillim Station in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu.

Today, I’d like to talk about the discomfort caused by dentures.

In fact, I hear people say that their dentures are uncomfortable very often.

This is especially true for people who have no teeth in the upper jaw and use only dentures—the discomfort can be much greater.

The most common discomfort is pain caused by the dentures ‘pressing’ against the gums.

Some people even have areas that are particularly painful when they press on their gums directly with their fingers.

The reason is that everyone has a different gum thickness.

Simply put, the gums over the bone act like a cushion that absorbs impact.

When this layer is thin, pressure is transmitted more directly, which causes pain.

In these cases, even if the dentures are adjusted repeatedly, it can be difficult to resolve the problem if the pressure itself is the cause of the pain.

This is especially true when there are natural teeth in the lower jaw and dentures only in the upper jaw. The lower teeth provide firm support while the upper dentures move during chewing, so pain naturally develops.

One possible solution in this situation is implants.

If several implants are placed and the dentures are secured to them, the impact received during chewing is reduced, and so is the pain caused by the dentures moving and pressing against the gums.

These implants do more than simply hold the dentures in place. They also help distribute impact like a cushion, making the dentures much more comfortable.

However, not everyone can receive implants.

In some cases, there is not enough jawbone to place them at all.

For these patients, the only option may be to fabricate the dentures themselves with a very precise fit.

The important thing here is ‘analyzing the cause.’

We need to carefully examine which areas hurt when pressed, in what direction the dentures move, and where force is concentrated during chewing, then design the dentures accordingly.

In fact, dentures are not simply prosthetic appliances made by taking an impression.

They require a very delicate treatment process.

However, with the application of national health insurance these days, reimbursement rates have decreased, and it is also a reality that fewer dentures are being made with the same level of craftsmanship as in the past.

Even so, dentures need to be made properly to fulfill their intended function.

The treatment needs to be well planned from the beginning, and the dentures must be fabricated properly according to that plan for the result to be even slightly better than the dentures currently being used.

If the existing dentures were extremely uncomfortable, there may be considerable room for improvement. However, if the existing dentures were not particularly bad but are still uncomfortable, the design itself needs to be more precise.

In situations like this, implant-supported dentures are a relatively easier solution, which is why implants are recommended more often.

Ultimately, when dentures are uncomfortable, we need to look beyond their shape alone and assess comprehensively why they hurt, which movements are uncomfortable, and what condition the bone and gums are in.

If implants can be placed, they may be a good solution. If they cannot, a much more delicate approach is needed.

I hope you’ll keep this in mind.