As a young mother, I was reasonably ignorant when raising my firstborn. My biggest regret is that I didn't help her take better care of her teeth. Like many people, I didn't realise the importance of baby teeth, resulting in long-term dental problems. Recently, my daughter got married and some of my tears were for the beautiful, glistening smile she presented to the cameras. Ever since I realised the dental damage I had caused, I had been saving for my daughter to have cosmetic dentistry. The results are remarkable. During the course of this journey, I have learnt a lot about caring for children's teeth and corrective procedures that can be undertaken when issues arise. I am sure many of you would be interested in the latest knowledge and techniques that are available to prevent and repair dental complications. I'm Margret Devlin - thanks for visiting.
Whether to get dentures is a big decision for anyone to make, but there are even more factors to consider when you suffer from high blood pressure. Various problems associated with hypertension can cause issues when it comes to getting false teeth. However, there's no need to worry. All these problems can be dealt with if you know what to expect. Here are 3 risks to look out for and how to alleviate them.
Dry Mouth
Depending on the medication you take for your high blood pressure, you may be suffering from dry mouth. Good saliva production can make wearing dentures a far more pleasant experience. It keeps your gum tissues healthy, and helps keep your dentures in place by creating suction in your mouth. If you have problems with dry mouth, there are two main ways to rectify this. First, you can try talking to your doctor about alternative hypertension medications that won't cause dry mouth. If this isn't a possibility, you can try using artificial saliva to mimic the real thing.
Gum Swelling
Dry mouth isn't the only side effect of blood pressure medication. You may already know that some treatments, such as calcium channel blockers, can cause gum tissues to swell and overgrow. This can be a problem for denture-wearers, as any gum growth can alter the way the false teeth fit in your mouth. There are many ways to deal with this problem if it arises. Again, as with dry mouth, you can find out whether changing your medication is possible. Alternatively, your dentist may be able to surgically reduce your overgrowth before fitting you with dentures. If your swelling is mild and doesn't affect your denture placement, cleaning habits, or eating ability, there's no need to treat it.
Infection Risk
Unfortunately, having high blood pressure puts you at a greater risk of getting periodontal disease. Dry mouth can cause bacterial infections as you don't have the anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties of saliva to keep your mouth healthy. Likewise, gum swelling can allow bacteria to grow in pockets that are difficult to clean. As if this isn't problematic enough, wearing false teeth can also increase your risk of disease and infections if you don't take proper care. When you suffer from high blood pressure, it's important to avoid oral bacteria as much as possible, as these infections can enter your bloodstream and cause further cardiac problems. To limit your risk, use the solutions above to combat your dry mouth and gum overgrowth, and remove your false teeth at night and clean them everyday with a denture solution.
Share25 July 2016
