Ill-fitting or loose dentures
Brief description of the condition
Ill-fitting or loose dentures. This may be indicative of stroke or other underlying serious condition such as malignancy, especially if presenting as a sudden or recent change in the denture fit.
Key signs and symptoms
- Pain (general discomfort, localised)
- Difficulty speaking
- Difficulty eating
Initial management
Determine if there are signs of stroke, for example facial weakness or distortion, arm weakness, speech problems; rapid onset of these symptoms (Face, Arms, Speech, Time; FAST).
If there are signs of stroke, send the patient immediately to emergency care at the nearest emergency department or call 999.
If there are no signs of stroke:
- Recommend optimal analgesia (see Analgesia).
- Advise the patient to remove their denture to ease discomfort.
- If the patient experienced discomfort after having the denture fitted following tooth extraction, advise the patient to return to the dentist who fitted the denture.
- Advise the patient to seek non-urgent dental care.
Subsequent care
Consider:
- Providing temporary relining of dentures.
- Making new dentures.
- Referring to the local Urgent Suspicion of Cancer (USC) pathway to investigate potential malignancy, if suspected.