If there’s one thing that no one of any income level can avoid, it is the changes our body experiences as we age. How poor or how wealthy you are is going to have little effect on the aging process your body undergoes. The ability to eat any food you like without putting on pounds in your teen years disappears as your metabolism slows down in your 30s. And as you enter your senior years, things like the relative health of your mouth as long as you brush twice daily are no longer guaranteed. This is one of the reasons why seeing a periodontist in Long Island can be important, especially if you have concerns about stomatitis because of your dentures.

So what is stomatitis? How can your dentures play a role in making you more vulnerable?

Weakened Gums

Despite the more colloquial name of “sore mouth,” denture induced stomatitis doesn’t necessarily always make itself known through physical pain in the mouth. Stomatitis of this nature is a yeast infection, and the denture induced version is more common in seniors that have a complete denture replacement for the upper jaw. The most common symptoms of stomatitis are red, swollen gums, and even a little bit of “pin prick” bleeding.

This is why visiting a periodontist in Long Island can be crucial for good oral health even after a senior starts wearing dentures. While it’s true that the absence of teeth means that cavities are no longer an issue, gum related conditions can still become a problem, especially if insufficient care is exercised between visits to the dentist.

Denture Maintenance Matters

There are two common causes of denture induced stomatitis. The first is a bad fit for dentures if the shape of the mouth gradually changes over time from the initial fitting. The poor fit may put pressure on certain spots in the gums, or cause some grinding, which can lead to infection.

The second cause is when denture wearers try to avoid the inconvenience of removing dentures, and wear them all the time. A senior going to bed wearing dentures rather than taking them out and cleaning them is the equivalent of not brushing teeth anymore. This creates a breeding ground of bacteria that can then result in a yeast infection. In both cases, a visit to a periodontist in Long Island is going to be required to deal with the resultant infection.

Take Care Between Visits

By exercising proper denture maintenance between visits to a periodontist in Long Island, it’s easy to avoid denture induced stomatitis. Remove dentures at night and let them get a good cleaning. But also remember to not ignore personal comfort. If wearing dentures starts to feel loose, or puts pressure on the gums where it wasn’t before, the shape of the mouth may have changed. Visit the dentist to make sure the fit is still good, and that the gums are healthy. It could be that it’s time for a denture refitting to accommodate changes to the shape of the mouth due to age.