“Can wearing dentures cause receding gums?”
My mother needs to get dentures and she worries about receding gums. Can wearing dentures cause receding gums?
4 Answers
Yes. Bone in our jaw is only there to support teeth. If there are no teeth, there is no reason for the bone to be present.
One wears dentures when there are no teeth. The bone and gums initially remodel after extraction of teeth to adjust to having no teeth, but there is no receding gums after that.
Poor fitting or poorly designed dentures can accelerate bone and gum loss, while a well designed, well fitting, and well cared for denture can increase the longevity of the bone and overlying gums. Stimulating the gums protected by the denture is one way to slow the recession. This can be done by leaving dentures out while sleeping, brushing the gums when brushing the teeth, and even chewing on a cloth or similar, without the denture in place, to stimulate and toughen the gums. No matter what steps are taken, some natural recession or diminishing of bone and gums will occur over time so it is important to have the denture relined periodically (every 3-5 years usually).
Likely yes. My first option would be dental implants for my mother.
