How common is a gag reflex with dentures?

I read a horror story of a woman who got full dentures but she couldn't eat anything with her dentures because she got a gag reflex from the plastic that extends towards the back of the mouth. Is gag reflex with dentures rare? If you do get a gag reflex with dentures can it be overcome?

i totally disagree with the guy who said you cannot overcome a gag reflex. mine is terrible -- but i've discovered that a lot of it is psychological.

i've had it bad my whole life -- when i was a little girl, i actually threw up on my orthodontist once, when they were taking impressions of my teeth! but lately i've had a lot of issues with TMJ (my jaw pops) and i've needed to wear a night guard. while the dental assistant was taking my impressions, she was soooo nice and sweet. she did everything slowly, told me exactly what she was going to do before she did it, had me "breathe through your nose!" and i knew that if i needed to stop at any time, she would. not only did i survive the several minutes of impressions she took that day, i survived impressions for molds for tooth whitening (done similarly, by another lady), AND i'm able to sleep in a full mouth guard each night for my jaw problems. the mouth guard is a large piece of hard plastic that fits inside my mouth and covers ALL my lower teeth (so you can see that it goes far to the back!). i can't believe i've been able to do this -- but with time and practice and positive thoughts, it gets easier and easier. honestly. i think you'll be fine. :) good luck!

You're welcome.... and if you every wanna talk about it or ask any questions, feel free to email me. Seriously. This was a major accomplishment for me, and I'd love to help someone else. :) Report It

It is common if the dentures are not fitted correctly. Now a days the dentures come in different types and the plastic can be trimmed if it is causing you to gag.

Please, don't worry about these insanely rare and drastic things!

That's not going to happen if your dentist is a good dentist.
Horror stories are usually crap, anyways.

You cannot overcome a gag reflex. Hence the name, REFLEX. If you could, those poor bulimics would be out of a job.
:[

Usually it is just a matter of trimming the back of the denture away from the palate, or a bit of perseverance by the patient.
Unfortunately I have had a couple of real gaggers in my time who couldn't tolerate anything beyond the canines in their mouths. Either make them a smaller denture if possible, perhaps supplement it with denture adhesives, or steer them towards implants.
It's a sad situation. So look after your teeth - it might happen to you.

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