How to promote and maintain good oral health in spite of wearing dentures.

A frank discussion at the beginning of treatment will inform the patient of what is possible in denture fabrication as well as in proper and responsible denture care and oral hygiene for the life of the patient. Dentures and mouths need examination and care for life. Only by regular visits to the dentist can this be accomplished. Dentures seldom change: mouths do. Regular visits allow professional evaluation of the oral tissues and the functioning jaw-joint mechanism to detect early treatment needs of the tissue and/or the denture. This interface must be intimate, vibrant, healthy, clean, and comfortable. To this end only, the professional person with a depth of knowledge, total education, keen insight to the anatomy, physiology, total body health, and the psyche and its interrelations to the inanimate prosthesis can make the denture an integral part of the living being. The dentist can keep it that way with the patient's cooperation. Dentures can be one of the best replacements of human body parts; but professional care and good home care are essential.