Things You May Not Notice Can Make a Big Difference for Your Dentures

You may not have noticed the little wrinkles at the top of your mouth. These tiny crenelations are actually called rugae, and they can be very important for the proper fit of your dentures.

Fitting Your Dentures to Your Rugae

In order to be fully secure, your upper denture must fit properly over your rugae. Unfortunately, this is one of the first steps to go in making economy dentures cheaper. Without this step, though, your dentures can fit poorly, and are more likely to slip when you talk. Fitting properly to the rugae is partly what makes the upper dentures relatively secure for single-denture fitting.

Reproducing Your Rugae

Because your rugae actually perform important roles in your mouth, failing to reproduce them on your dentures can lead to trouble. One important role of your rugae is in speech, and if you don’t have them, you may have trouble making some sounds, like “s,” “sh,” “n,” and “d.” There is some scientific evidence that customized rugae in dentures can improve your ability to make these sounds.

Rugae Troubles

For proper fit and function, the entire roof of your mouth should be firm, including the rugae. Sometimes, though, people have oral health conditions that may lead to flabby tissue in the top of your mouth, either over the alveolar ridge (where your teeth used to be) or over the rugae. It’s best to treat this before getting dentures. There are several treatments, up to and including oral surgery. Which is right for you depends on the exact cause of your flabby tissue. If you don’t get this corrected first, it can contribute to poor denture fit.

Great-Fitting, Fully Functional Dentures

At Smile Columbia Dentistry, we are dedicated to ensuring every patient gets the best-fitting dentures possible. That’s why we offer The Denture Fountain of Youth®, which utilize neuromuscular principles to ensure proper fit of your dentures. We can also help to ensure that your dentures properly fit to and incorporate your rugae.

To learn more about the benefits we offer over other dental practices in Columbia, SC, please contact us today.