Years of Experience
Years Established
ABOUT US
Cumbria Smile Clinic is a private practice based in Denton Holme, Carlisle, creating bespoke dentures whilst offering a range of related services including implant retained dentures, denture repairs, sports mouth-guards and other related services.
Cumbria Smile clinic is owned by Andrew Pattinson dipcdtRCS(Eng), a Clinical dental technician graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons England, We pride ourselves on the realistic and natural look of our dentures and providing effective care that is responsive to your needs at all times.
At Cumbria Smile clinic we use our 27 years of experience to solve denture problems and give you the dentures you require.
Founded in 2008, Cumbria Smile Clinic is an alternative way to have new custom-made dentures in Carlisle other than going to your dentist. Not only does Andy take the impressions and undertake the clinical work, he also constructs your dentures himself on the premises
Our service is discreet and we always guarantee your privacy.
OUR SERVICES
OUR FRIENDLY TEAM
Andrew Pattinson DipcdtRCS(Eng)
Clinical Dental Technician
Lisa Boland
Secretary
"Very friendly and knowledgeable team.
i am very nervous in a dental chair but Andrew put me at ease . 5 Stars. "
Mr Stevenson
“My new iDentures are so lifelike that i even forget myself that i wear dentures.
The dentures have made me look ten years younger.”
Mrs James
“Andrew came to my house as i live in the country and don't drive. Andrew came to see me at home. Excellent service.”
J Barnyard
AFTER CARE
New dentures are bound to feel strange, even if they have been made to closely resemble your own natural teeth or some previous dentures. You may feel that they are enormous, and that you are making excessive quantities of saliva, also that your speech is not clear. These sensations should lessen over a few days as your mouth gets used to the feel of the new teeth.
You may also feel that it will be obvious to everyone you meet that you are wearing new dentures! Remember, most people that you meet throughout the day take you ‘on face value’. They are interested in you, not specifically your teeth. So don’t tell them there is anything new and it is most likely they will not even realise. People who know you well may notice that you are ‘looking well’, but often they cannot work out what it is that has improved your appearance.
Some speech sounds, particularly ‘S’ and ‘Sh’ are affected by the shape that the tongue makes against the teeth and palate at the front of the mouth. If the position of the teeth is altered slightly, or the palate is changed in shape it can take a little while for the tongue to learn how to make the right shape to make the sound come out absolutely correctly. Try reading aloud to practice. Things will improve quickly, but only if you give them the chance to – they will not improve if you keep going back to an old set of teeth.
Similarly with eating. It is not sensible to expect to be able to manage very hard chewy or sticky foods immediately with new dentures. You need to get used to the new feel, and how the teeth work for you. So choose relatively soft tasty foods to start with, and don’t try to eat too fast. Another tip is to avoid piling your plate too high. If hot food gets cold because you’re eating slowly then it’s not appetising anymore. Better to go for ‘seconds’ if you still feel hungry, and enjoy the whole meal.
Lots of people leave their dentures out overnight. This may be because they feel they want to, or because their dentist has told them they must do so. If you feel you wish to leave your dentures out at night, then do, but make sure they are kept moist overnight by placing in a beaker of water.
However, you may feel that leaving out your replacement teeth at night is not something that you want to do. If so, unless your mouth is being made sore by the dentures and the dentist or CDT has specifically advised against wearing them for a period, then as long as the dentures are kept clean, and your mouth is healthy, then wear them when you wish. Just make sure that you have your mouth and dentures regularly checked.
It is important to have your mouth checked regularly, at least annually, for health, even if you do not have any natural teeth. At the same time, a dentist can check the fit and continuing suitability of your dentures. Unfortunately, dentures do wear out over a period, but because you wear them every day, you become used to the feel of them, and may not notice that they are not fitting so well or working so efficiently. If such dentures are kept overlong, it can be very difficult indeed to get used to a brand-new set eventually, and changes in the mouth can occur which make things even more difficult. It is much the best to avoid this happening by getting the regular checks required from a local dentist.
It is also very important to get things checked out by a dentist if you develop a sore spot under your dentures which won’t resolve after two weeks, or if you develop a swelling or ulcer (even if it doesn’t hurt), which fails to go away by itself in two weeks.
It is not always helpful to compare sets of dentures with each other outside your mouth. You may find that there are different numbers of teeth on different dentures, and the shape of different sets may be very varied. Remember that the mouth changes shape after tooth loss and continues to alter slowly over time. Also, one of the reasons for needing new dentures is often that the previous set is no longer working as well as it should. So, it would not make sense for a new set to be exactly the same as an old set, or it wouldn’t be addressing these issues.
However, it is always worth while keeping your last set of dentures (if you have some) as an emergency ‘spare’ set. Other sets of teeth which are worth keeping are any sets which you particularly liked in the past because of their appearance or fit, or conversely any sets which were particularly unsuitable. This information could be useful to a clinician in the future, when you need some new dentures, because there may be some design features which work well for you which can be copied in a new set of teeth, whilst changing others.
None of us are born knowing how to wear dentures. There are some skills which must be learned in order to be able to use them well. Mostly these skills are learned automatically but very occasionally it can be difficult for some people. While the muscles of the tongue, cheeks, and lips etc. are getting to grips with learning how to hold your dentures in place it can be very helpful to use a denture fixative to help things. This is particularly the case with a complete lower denture which relies solely on muscular control to keep it in place. Some people find that fixative gives them added confidence with their teeth even when they have got used to them. There are several different types of fixative, which one you use is very much a matter of personal preference. However, it is important to read the instructions to be sure that you are getting the maximum effect, and remember that ‘a little fixative is good, but a lot is not better’ – too much can be less effective than a small amount used in the right way, and it is also wasteful and very messy!
It is very important to keep your new teeth clean. It will help keep them looking good and your mouth feeling fresh. It will also help keep your mouth healthy.
It is wise to clean your dentures over a bowl or basin of water, in case you drop them. The water will cushion the fall and help prevent breakage due to impact. Otherwise, the teeth are quite robust enough to withstand thorough cleaning! First brush the dentures all over with a softish brush to remove any obvious particles of food etc. from them. Make sure you brush the surface which fits against the inside of your mouth as well as the surface which holds the teeth. Ordinary soap is suitable for this process, or you can use a special denture cleaning paste, such as Dentu creme. Ordinary toothpaste used for natural teeth can be a bit abrasive for dentures in the long term, so it is best avoided, but is O.K. occasionally if you find that’s all you’ve got!
At least once a day, it’s a good idea to soak a denture in a solution which will ‘deep-clean’ it. Steradent is a well-known brand, but lots of shops e.g. Boots. Superdrug etc. make their own which are just as good (and sometimes good value too!). There is now available a product which will do the job in just 3 minutes, so there is no need to be without your teeth for a prolonged period while they soak.
Never use hot water for the cleaning/soaking procedure – over time it bleaches the gum-work of the denture to a lovely snowy-white! And destroys the acrylic, making your dentures brittle.
New dentures can make the mouth sore especially on the lower. Your new dentures are made made to fit your mouth closely, but because the models of your mouth are made with you sitting still, and there are many different movements of the mouth which occur during normal function (speaking, eating, kissing etc), there may be some parts of the dentures which press on parts of the mouth during function and only discovered once you start to wear the new teeth.
Please don’t despair. Andrew will give you an appointment to see how things are going with your new teeth, and it should be possible then to make any minor adjustments to take account of these sore spots which become apparent, so you can wear the new dentures comfortably. In the meantime, don’t leave the dentures in all the time making your mouth really sore, either go back to your old dentures temporarily, or wear the new ones just for short periods.
It is very important to wear the new dentures to your next appointment with Andrew, even if you can only put them in a couple of hours before the appointment. Bring your old dentures too, if you have some, but wear the new ones. This is because it will help Andrew see where the troublesome areas are.
Our Address
CUMBRIA SMILE CLINIC
11Oa Denton St, Carlisle, Cumbria
CA2 5HB
Opening Hours
Monday – Friday 9 AM – 5 PM
Saturday-Sunday By Arrangement