My Upper Denture Makes Me Gag

I have upper dentures and I have hated them since day one. My dentist said it takes some time to get used to them, but honestly, I can’t stop gagging. I’m miserable. Is there any way to get this to stop happening?

Anita

Dear Anita,

You are not alone in hating removable dentures. So don’t feel bad about that at all. And, if you have a strong gag reflex, they will make you absolutely miserable. This is because of the denture plate that is used with upper dentures to help keep them in. There are two possible solutions for this.

The ideal solution would be to get implant supported dentures. These place four to six dental implants in your upper jaw and then after a period of healing and time for the bone to integrate with it, they will anchor your dentures to the implants. Because the implants secure the dentures, there is no need for the denture plate. As a result, there will be no gagging reflex. You will also find that they secure your dentures better so you are able to eat whatever you want to again. Even the best fitting removable dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. You will get all of that back.

For  some people dental implants are completely out of their budget. If that is your case, then you can try this second option. Above you’ll see an image of two denture plates. The one at the top has your typical denture plate that goes all the way to the vibrating line. Sometimes if the plate is cut back just a smidge to right before the vibrating line it can help with the gag reflex. That is what you see with the bottom image. You can’t cut it back too much or there won’t be enough suction to keep in your dentures.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by a gentle dentist in Nashville Dr. David Wickness.