What does this mean?
A full or partial denture means the load of chewing is carried not by teeth but by the gum and the bone beneath it. If that load gathers on an area of a few square millimetres, the lining first reddens, then thins, and its surface opens up. A sore of this kind has sharp borders, matches a particular edge or ridge of the denture exactly, and the pain drops noticeably when the denture is taken out.
The telling details are the shape of the sore and its course. A pressure sore is in one spot; once the relevant part of the denture has been thinned down, it most often closes within ten days. Widespread redness covering the whole area of the palate the denture sits on is a separate picture: it usually causes no pain, and it calls more for hygiene and for dealing with a fungal infection.
A sore that has not healed in two weeks can no longer be explained by the denture. If at the end of that time it is still there, with hardened edges or a coarse base, it needs assessing separately from the denture. Having the denture adjusted again and again does not take the place of that assessment, and it can cost you time.
A sore under a denture can appear for more than one reason; the range runs from the fit being lost to the state of the lining itself, and how many weeks the sore has been there decides which direction it is looked into.
Likely causes
What helps at home?
- When a new sore forms, take the denture out for a while and rest the lining; be sure to bring your denture with you to the appointment, because a pressure point can only be found with the denture in the mouth.
- Do not try to file the edge of the denture, to heat it or to reline it at home; the fit is thrown off further and new sores open up.
- Take the denture out every night, brush it and keep it in clean water; a denture left in overnight makes it easier for the lining to redden.
- Note the date the sore started; whether it has passed two weeks is the single most telling piece of information.
- If the sore has not closed in two weeks
- If the edge of the sore has hardened, or its base has raised and thickened
- If the sore has appeared in an area the denture never touches
- If your cheek or your face has swollen and you have a temperature
- If the sore bleeds easily when touched and the bleeding keeps coming back
Frequently asked questions
- I have a new denture, is it normal to get a sore?
- In the first few days one or two pressure points are common, and they are dealt with by adjusting the denture. What is expected is that the pain drops quickly after the adjustment and the sore closes. The same spot opening up again after every adjustment, or the sore going past two weeks, does not fit that course; in that case a cause other than the denture needs looking into.
- Can I just leave the denture out until the pain goes?
- Taking it out for a short while rests the lining, but leaving it out for a long time is not the answer. If the denture goes unused for days, chewing and speech are both affected, and because the swelling in the lining goes down the denture then sits differently. Also, since a pressure point is identified with the denture in the mouth, giving it up completely before the appointment can make the assessment harder.
- Is putting on a painkilling gel enough?
- Products applied to the surface can ease the discomfort for a while, but they do not remove the pressure; the sore carries on underneath. Surface products used for a long time can also irritate the lining, and by hiding the true course of the sore they can lead to delay. The lasting answer is to find where the pressure is coming from and to correct the denture.
This content is for general information and does not replace an in-person examination. Symptoms overlap between conditions, and a diagnosis can only be made clinically.