If you’ve dealt with dental problems from an early age, you know how frustrating the battle for healthy teeth can be. From persistent cavities to fragile teeth, it can feel like a losing battle to find treatments to protect your teeth from further damage. In some cases, it might even be in your best interest to consider dentures.
However, when your dentist recommends this treatment, you may find yourself wondering if you’re too young for dentures. At Hendersonville Family Dental, our team understands how daunting it can be to get dentures when you’re young. However, we also understand how beneficial they can be for improving your oral health.
If your dentist has recently recommended making this step, but you fear that you might be too young for dentures, keep reading to see how beneficial they can be.
What are the Signs You Might Benefit from Dentures
There are many reasons why your dentist may recommend getting dental implants or partial or complete dentures. These recommendations are made after thorough dental examination and treatment. If you experienced any of the following, you may be a good candidate for dentures:
- You are missing several or all of your teeth
- You have experienced severe gum disease that has impacted your tooth health
- You experience difficulty chewing
- Your teeth are shifting due to gaps, leading to severe misalignment
- You have bone loss in your jaw that makes it difficult or impossible to get dental implants
- You have become self-conscious about your smile due to your dental condition
Are You Too Young for Dentures?
While you may believe that you are too young for dentures, it is important to remember that your dentist isn’t going to make these recommendations unless they believe it is the best step in your dental health journey. If you are missing teeth and this is impacting your day-to-day life, dentures can greatly improve your oral function, and you are certainly not too young for dentures.
If you are feeling weary about getting dentures, it is important that you speak to your trusted dental expert about this. Ask any questions you may have and go over any fears you may have about making this step. With the help of these conversations with your dentist, you should begin to feel better about the decision to get dentures.
What are the Benefits of Dentures and Dental Implants?
One of the easiest ways to quell anxiety if you believe you’re too young for dentures is by understanding the benefits they present you with. Some of the most significant benefits of getting dentures are:
- Improved appearance of your smile: One of the most significant benefits of getting dentures is the improvement they make to the appearance of your smile. Whether you are missing a few or all of your teeth, your dentures can help you feel more confident when you smile.
- Support to your facial muscles: While you may feel that you are too young for dentures, it is important to remember the role your teeth play in maintaining your youthful appearance. Tooth loss may result in a sagging, sunken appearance, which is why it is so important to get dentures when they are recommended to you.
- Enhanced speech: When you lose teeth, you may begin to notice changes in your speech, including lisps, difficulty pronouncing some words, and slurring. When you get dentures, you should notice significant improvements in your speech, returning it to its previous state.
- Low-maintenance dental treatment: While you still need to care for your dentures like you did your natural teeth, they don’t require much more care, making them a low-maintenance dental option. Simply brush and soak your dentures in recommended cleaning solutions to keep them looking their best.
- Improved chewing: If you have experienced difficulty chewing, your dentures should make this much easier. It is important that they are inserted properly and well-secured. However, once they are secure, you shouldn’t have any difficulty eating your favorite foods.
Tips for Adjusting to Wearing Dentures
It is important to remember that you are not too young for dentures. While this dental journey may be different from those around your age, it is a positive next step in your journey to a healthier mouth. If your dentist has recommended dentures, there are a few things you can do to make the transition easier.
- Take It Slow: While you may want to jump back into regular activity, it is important to take things like wearing your dentures slowly. It is a difficult process to prepare for ahead of time, so take your time as you make this transition.
- Start with Soft Foods: When learning to eat with your dentures in, it is important to start with soft foods like soups, yogurts, and potatoes. Master these foods before transitioning to more solid foods.
- Be Patient: It’s normal to experience discomfort, soreness, or difficulty with your dentures as you make the transition. Be patient with yourself and give yourself time to adapt. With practice, you’ll adjust to wearing dentures.
- Attend Follow-Up Appointments: It is important to attend all of the necessary follow-up appointments with your dentist. At these appointments, they can give you tips and tricks to make this transition easier, and you can address any concerns.
Improve Your Dental Health with Hendersonville Family Dental
If you are considering getting dentures, it is important that you work with a dental team you can trust, like our team at Hendersonville Family Dental. With years of experience helping individuals overcome their fear that they are too young for dentures, we’re confident that we can help you overcome this anxiety as well and prepare for this step in your dental journey.
In addition to our denture services, our team provides dental implants, veneers, teeth whitening, and more cosmetic dentistry services to patients across the Hendersonville, North Carolina, area. If you would like to speak to a member of our team about whether you are too young for dentures, don’t hesitate to contact our team today for support.