You might think that once you get dentures that you don’t need to visit the dentists for dental help, unless of course you have a problem such as your dentures breaking.
However, regular dental checkups are not just about checking to see if you need a filling here or there; checkups are about good dental advice, looking for oral problems, and getting proper denture care too.
Denture care is about seeing that your dentures still fit your mouth properly, because ill fitting dentures can lead to mouth sore, ulcers, etc. A quick denture check can also actually alert you to many other health issues.
Many health problems include oral symptoms, and the color or texture of your tongue surface can change due to certain health issues.
One major thing that can be diagnosed at a dental check up is the early warning signs of oral cancer. With well over six hundred thousand new cases being diagnosed around the world each year, it is essential that the disease is diagnosed as early as possible.
Although many symptoms might point to some other much less serious disease, it pays to take symptoms seriously and get them checked out.
Some of the symptoms that are categorized as early warning signs of oral cancer are listed below.
- Problems with swallowing your food or you feel like something is stuck in your throat.
- Your mouth or your tongue feels numb.
- You constantly have a hoarse voice.
- You have one or more lump or thickening patch within the mouth.
Should you experience any symptoms that last for a while, or if you have a sore than doesn’t seem to be healing then it’s well worth getting it checked by a professional. A doctor or a dentist will be should be familiar with the signs and know what to look for.
As part of your denture care, your dentist will look out for the early warning signs when you have a checkup.
A spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry spoke on this subject.
Your dentist will feel for lumps or irregular tissue changes in your neck, head, cheeks, and oral cavity and thoroughly examine the soft tissues in your mouth, specifically looking for any sores or discolored tissues (source).
So, denture care is very important and dental services include the checking of oral health and much more.
Experts say that you can avoid many dental problems by having a dental checkup every six months, and if you have lost your natural teeth make sure you have a denture checkup.