Not looking for advice - anecdotes would be a better word.
Last week (3/11) my Sweetie had seven teeth pulled (the six remaining on the top and one from the bottom). Three of the seven had nasty infections. His temporary dentures were put in place before he left the office.
He had his one week followup with the dental surgeon on Tuesday (3/18). The dentist told him that the dentures are causing a sore in one spot (which he was well aware of) and told him to contact his regular dentist to get them adjusted. But, he didn’t tell him what to do in the meantime.
Oh and the stitches/sutures/whatever in the front are still there even though they were supposed to have gone away in a few days (according to the post-procedure note).
The infections seem to be clearing up beautifully. His face is not swollen for the first time in I don’t even know how long and he feels healthier than he has felt in years.
Anyway, the post-procedure notes say to use Anbesol on any sores caused by dentures but it doesn’t say what to do to prevent exacerbation of the existing sore.
Of course my Sweetie, being a stereotypical man, doesn’t mention any of this to me until 12:30 am today (Saturday). He has not called his dentist for an appointment and even if she is open today for advice, he has to leave for an overnight work trip at 10am so there’s not much time to act on anything she says.
TL&DR
So, what I want to know is:
Have you used Comfort Grip or something similar 1.5 weeks after extraction to make temporary dentures more comfortable and if you did, how did it work out for you?
Dentist here, the sore spots are caused by the denture rubbing on the tissue. He needs to have his regular dentist adjust them. The tissues change size/contour very rapidly after extractions and immediate dentures(ones placed at extraction appoint. v. those made when no teeth are present) and require fairly frequent adjustments for the first few months. Anbesol/Oral Gel help with the soreness but not the cause. After a few months he’ll need them relined once the tissues have finished their major changes.
Rubbing can be because the denture is to tight in which case it needs to be adjusted. Being too loose also causes sore spots so Comfort Grip/Poly Grip works well for that.
The sutures resorbe at different rates I wouldn’t worry about them. Sounds like they were resorbable v. silk which need to be removed.
He should also be removing the denture at night which helps with sore spots. He was probably told not to remove them for the for the first couple of days but now it should be fine.
Have him call his dentist first thing Monday.
Thank you very much for answering. His denture was definitely too loose so I got him some Comfort Grip (along with some Anbesol).
A couple sutures came out this morning and one was dangling but still attached so he gently trimmed it back. The rest dissolved. I wonder if the dentist used two different kinds.
He said that putting the denture in with the comfort grip on was one of the most painful things he has ever done to his mouth (this coming from a guy who just had 7 teeth pulled without sedation) but within seconds of biting down, the pain started to ease off and was soon gone. It’s not bobbling around now so it’s not rubbing on the sore any more and he’s happy. He’s a whole lot happier right now than he’s been for the last few days and he thinks he might actually be able to chew very soft pasta now that the denture isn’t bobbling.
He has been taking them out at night for at least 5 days now. He said it’s more comfortable with his CPAP to have the denture out so he was happy to be able to sleep without them.