Are Your Dentures Giving You An Earache?
If you suffer from earache regularly, and your doctor can't pin down the source of the problem, your false teeth may be making your ears hurt. Why do dentures sometimes give you ear pain and what can you do about it?
Denture Fit May Affect Your Ears
The way your dentures fit doesn't just affect your ability to eat and talk normally; it may also affect other areas of your face. If your dentures don't fit your mouth correctly, you may find it hard to chew your food evenly using all parts of your teeth. For example, if you find chewing hard, you may favour using a certain part or side of your teeth or you may avoid eating on areas that don't feel so comfortable.
Over time, using one area of your mouth to eat may overwork the facial muscles and nerves on that side of your face. If this happens, you may start to suffer from earache. Typically, if this is caused by the way you use your dentures to eat, you may notice that the pain only occurs on one side; your earache may also be accompanied by clicking, popping or pain in your jaw.
How to Fix Denture Earache
If you've recently had your dentures made and fitted, your earache may not be down to the fit of your teeth. You may simply get a little ear pain while you get used to wearing your dentures and eating with them. Bear in mind that eating with false teeth is not the same as eating with your natural teeth and it may take a while for you to adapt.
If your earache doesn't go away after a couple of weeks or if you've been wearing dentures for a while and your ear pain has just started to be a problem, you should see your dentist to have the fit of your dentures checked out. Dentures usually stop fitting as well as they did originally as time passes. For example, your gums and jaw bones may recede over time, giving you less of a snug false teeth fit.
If your dentist thinks that this is an issue, you may be advised to use denture adhesives to improve the fit of your teeth if this is a minor problem; alternatively, your dentist may recommend that you have your dentures relined to make them fit more comfortably. During this procedure, your denture plate is adapted with a specialist lining material to change its shape to more closely match the changed shape of your mouth. If your denture fit has become very bad, you may be advised to have a new set of dentures made.
Warning: Don't ignore persistent earache even if you think it is just down to your denture fit and you can live with the pain. Ear pain can be a symptom of oral cancers. If you have earache regularly, your dentist can check your mouth for problems as well as assessing the fit of your dentures.
For more information on dentures, contact a company like Belmont Denture Clinic.
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