{"id":1379,"date":"2026-07-29T14:32:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T18:32:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libertyvilledentist.com\/blog\/?p=1379"},"modified":"2026-07-29T14:32:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T18:32:52","slug":"having-trouble-gagging-with-my-dentures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libertyvilledentist.com\/blog\/having-trouble-gagging-with-my-dentures\/","title":{"rendered":"Having Trouble Gagging with My Dentures"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve had dentures for a few weeks now and I’m really having a hard time with them. The lower dentures aren’t as big a problem because they just sit there, though they do move a bit which is annoying. The upper dentures make me gag almost constantly so I keep taking them out.<\/p>\n

Lizzie<\/p>\n

\n

Dear Lizzie,<\/p>\n

You are not alone in this struggle. In fact, dentures have a lot of problems<\/a> as a whole. People with a strong gag reflex often find it impossible to tolerate their upper dentures. The gagging you are having is because of the denture plate that is needed to help secure the upper denture in with suction. There are a couple of options to deal with this issue.<\/p>\n

Implant Supported Denture<\/h2>\n

\"Implant<\/p>\n

The best option is to have dental implants placed<\/a> into your upper jaw. You can anchor the upper denture to the dental implants and not need to have a denture plate at all. It will be the closest you can get to having a natural bite. The only downside to this is that it is sometimes out of a patient’s budget.<\/p>\n

If that is the case, it is much more important that your lower dentures have implants than your upper for reasons I’ll explain in a moment. Ideally, you would get them for both arches, but if you cannot afford them for both arches, then the lower arch would be the essential one.<\/p>\n

Trimming the Denture Plate<\/h2>\n

\"TrimmedGagging is often caused because of the denture plate which extends to the vibrating line where your palate begins. Going back that far kicks in a gagging reflex as part of your body’s defense mechanism.<\/p>\n

A dentist in England discovered a way to trim the denture plate back a bit so it does not encroach on the vibrating line.<\/p>\n

You can’t have it cut back too much because there needs to be enough there to keep the suction. And it does not work in every case, but it has helped quite a few patients. Plus, it doesn’t require a change in your tooth replacements.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

The Importance of Dental Implants on Your Lower Arch<\/h2>\n
\"An

Before and after the affects of facial collapse.<\/p><\/div>\n

In response to your teeth being removed, your body begins resorbing the minerals in your jawbone, that were used to keep those teeth secure, to other parts of your body in an effort to be as efficient as possible with the resources allocated to it. It’s a remarkable system. The only downside is it cannot recognize that you have fake teeth sitting on top, so year after year, that jawbone shrinks more and more.<\/p>\n

After between 10-20 years, which varies by patient, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to even keep your lower dentures in place. In dental circles, this is called facial collapse. Not only will it age your appearance by decades, but you’ll be limited to a soft diet because you won’t be able to chew food properly.<\/p>\n

The solution to this is, like the first option in stopping the gagging for the upper denture, to get implant supported dentures. The implants serve as prosthetic tooth roots, which tells your body to leave the minerals in your jawbone in place.<\/p>\n

I hope this helps. If you can only get dental implants for one arch, the lower arch should be the priority.<\/p>\n

This blog is brought to you by caring dentists in Libertyville<\/a>, Drs. Mirza and Potts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve had dentures for a few weeks now and I’m really having a hard time with them. The lower dentures aren’t as big a problem because they just sit there, though they do move a bit which is annoying. The upper dentures make me gag almost constantly so I keep taking them out. Lizzie Dear […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[110],"tags":[154,99,575,513,278,576],"class_list":["post-1379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-dentures-2","tag-dental-implants","tag-facial-collapse","tag-gagging-with-dentures","tag-implant-supported-dentures","tag-problems-with-dentures","tag-trimming-dentures","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nHaving Trouble Gagging with My Dentures - David Potts, DDS Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is there a way to stop gagging with dentures?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/libertyvilledentist.com\/blog\/having-trouble-gagging-with-my-dentures\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Having Trouble Gagging with My Dentures - 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