Why an annual exam still matters
Even without natural teeth, your soft tissues and the bone underneath your dentures both keep changing. Your bone slowly resorbs, your gums respond to pressure, and your risk of oral cancer doesn’t go away with extractions — in some age groups it actually rises. Your yearly visit is short insurance against problems that grow quietly.
What we check
- Oral cancer screening — visual and tactile exam of all soft tissues
- Gum and palate health — looking for irritation, ulcers, or fungal infection
- Bone ridge evaluation — how your jaw is changing under the denture
- Bite and fit — checking how your denture is sitting today vs. when it was made
- The denture itself — wear, cracks, deposits, broken teeth
- Professional ultrasonic cleaning — far deeper than home brushing
Who benefits most from a yearly exam
You benefit most from a yearly exam if you’ve worn dentures for several years, your medical picture has changed recently (new medications, a recent illness), or your bite has started to feel different from how it used to. Patients from Fishersville, Staunton, and across the Shenandoah Valley often come in expecting nothing to be wrong — and a small fit correction or early-stage tissue finding is exactly what makes the visit worthwhile.
What happens after the exam
You’ll see us again in a year if everything looks good. You’ll have a conversation about whether a reline, a rebase, or — only when truly needed — a new denture is the right next step if your fit is off. You’ll get a plain-language explanation and a coordinated next step (often on the same visit) if we spot anything in your tissues that needs follow-up.
At-home maintenance between visits
You’ll brush your dentures with a non-abrasive cleanser twice a day, soak them overnight in a denture-safe solution, and gently brush your gums and tongue. Your call to our Fishersville office is the right move if a sore spot lingers more than a week — small fixes catch problems before they grow.
Common questions we answer at the annual exam
You’ll often arrive at the annual exam with a small list of questions that have come up over the year — and that’s exactly the right place to bring them. You can ask about a click that’s started during eating, a sore spot that comes and goes, a stain you can’t brush out, or whether it’s time to think about an upgrade to implant-retained dentures. Your annual visit is also when we update your medical and medication history, since changes there can affect what we recommend.
Need a refit? See denture relines or rebases & repairs.