Are new dentures suppose to have gaps in the fit against the gum?

I've never had dentures and mine seem not to fit very securely. I have to apply adhesive all over them to get them to fit without wiggling all over. I have big gaps in some area of gum and denture and one side of the upper seems to hang lower than the other no matter how much goop I squeeze on it. Seems the more goop the less I can taste anything. Help! Dentist says I just need to heal and them reline. I don't want to try to fix ill fitting dentures with more "bandaids."

I'll have to assume that you had what's called an immediate denture placed. An immediate denture is one that is fabricated on models that have the few remaining teeth cut off and the ridges are just an approximation of what it will actually look like after the final teeth are removed. Also, the immediate denture purposefully has large spaces in the areas of where the final teeth are so that there is room for swelling after they are removed while the denture is in place. If you have an immediate denture, I would say that your experience is normal and that the dentist's advice is correct. You should just do the best you can until you have healed at which point the dentist can reline the inner surface of the denture to achieve a much more exact fit. In the mean time while you are waiting to heal, you might ask for a soft reline. This is where the dentist will put in a temporary lining material that adheres to the denture and creates a better fit against your tissues. Note however that this material is just temporary and will degrade rather rapidly. You'll have to decide if the cost of the soft relines are worth it to you.

If you didn't get an immediate denture and instead, you had no teeth when the denture was made, you should return immediately so that it can be relined or remade.

Bottom line: dentures are not fun. Even in the best of circumstances they are not a very pleasing substitute for natural teeth and adhesive will be your new best buddy.

A RELINE IS NOT A BANDAID. IT IS A WAY TO PERFECTLY ADAPT THE GUMS TO THE EXISTING DENTURE. THERE SHOULD BE NO GAPS BETWEEN THE ACRYLIC AND THE GUMS. THE RELINE WILL REPAIR THE FIT SO YOU NO LONGER NEED THE ADHESIVE.