Did you ever wonder why the three bears were eating porridge? It’s possible they didn’t have any teeth, and Goldilocks would have probably tried on their dentures but for the fact that the bears were wearing them on their walk so they could smile at their neighbors.

If she had tried them on, she likely would have found that one was too short, the other too tall, and the third one was just right. It’s important to find the right size dentures because having dentures that are either too tall or too short can lead to problems.

Dentures That Are Too Short

Dentures being too short is a common problem. Dentists may begin the process of making dentures by gauging the proper height based on how your teeth were just before they were lost, which means they are gauging your denture height based on teeth that were already worn down. And as bone is lost from your jaw, your dentures are even more short for your face. The result of this is a shrunken appearance that contributes to facial folds, wrinkles, and jowls.

But short dentures often cause functional problems. People with short dentures experience too much folding of the cheeks, which can put them in the way of your teeth, leading to cheek biting. Folded cheeks also make it hard for your mouth to contain saliva, which causes it to leak out and cause an irritating and unattractive infection at the corner of your mouth, called angular cheilitis.

Too short dentures also contribute to muscle soreness because your muscles are being asked to close past the point they are designed to work. This can put stress on your jaw joint, too, and can lead to TMJ.

Short dentures also make it hard to eat.

Dentures That Are Too Tall

Dentists who are just guessing at the height of dentures may also make your dentures too tall. When dentures are too tall, your muscles become sore because you’re being forced to hold your mouth open wider than necessary.

Tall dentures are more likely to strike together more often. They may click when you chew or talk, and it may lead to discomfort or soreness during these activities. It can also damage the dentures.

You might experience these briefly when you move from short dentures to dentures that are the right size, but you’ll quickly adapt to the proper size of dentures.

Finding the Right Size Dentures

The Denture Fountain of Youth® was invented to avoid creating dentures that are the wrong height. Using neuromuscular dentistry principles, we are able to gauge the proper height of your dentures from your muscles, which means they’re the right size for your jaw. This is a scientific process, repeatable and verifiable, which means that we’re never guessing about the right size of your dentures, and you’re more likely to get the right size dentures the first time.

To learn more about the benefits of The Denture Fountain of Youth®, please call (803) 781-9090 for an appointment with a Columbia, SC denture dentist at Smile Columbia Dentistry.