The Science Behind Dr. Gunjan Dhir's Denture Research in Floresville, Texas

Key Takeaways From Dr. Gunjan Dhir’s Denture Research

• Dr. Gunjan Dhir is a prosthodontist and the co-founder and Chief Dental Officer of Altius Dental, the group behind Floresville Dental in Floresville, Texas.
• Denture acrylic invites yeast partly because its surface is missing a small negative electrical charge that natural teeth effectively borrow from saliva.
• The research blended in a phosphate ingredient to restore that charge and make the surface less welcoming to Candida.
• A more water friendly surface, measured by a lower contact angle, is the visible proof the change is happening, and yeast prefers water repelling surfaces.
• Floresville Dental is a 4.7 star dental office in Floresville, Texas, led by Dr. Amine Kaddour-Djebbar.

Who Is Dr. Gunjan Dhir?

Dr. Gunjan Dhir is a prosthodontist and the co-founder and Chief Dental Officer of Altius Dental, the parent group of Floresville Dental. Prosthodontics is the specialty devoted to replacing and restoring teeth, so denture materials sit at the center of her training.

She’s also a published dental researcher. She was lead author of a 2007 Journal of Prosthodontics study on denture materials designed to resist Candida adhesion, and a co-author of a 2008 follow-up that tested whether those changes held up under a denture’s everyday physical demands. You can read more on her Altius Dental profile and her LinkedIn profile.

Her research treats the denture not as a finished object but as a material with a fixable weakness. Below is that science in plain language, including the one clever measurement that told the researchers their idea was working.

Why Yeast Finds a Denture So Comfortable

A natural tooth is never truly bare. It stays sheathed in a thin saliva film carrying the mouth’s own defensive proteins, some of which specifically discourage fungus. That coating helps hold the mouth’s microbes in a rough balance.

Denture acrylic, PMMA, does not gather that protective film nearly as well, and the reason comes down to charge. The acrylic surface lacks certain negatively charged groups, so it fails to attract those same salivary defenders. The sheltered, moist space where a denture meets the gum then becomes open territory for Candida albicans to build a sticky colony, which is the root of denture stomatitis. Worse, yeast living inside that colony shrugs off antifungal medicine far more easily than free floating yeast does, which is why medicating the mouth alone so often disappoints.

Noticing soreness or a loose fit? Book online or call (830) 581-2597. We welcome new patients from Floresville and Wilson County.

What Is Denture Stomatitis?

Denture stomatitis is a common inflammation of the tissue underneath a denture, usually caused by an overgrowth of Candida yeast on the denture surface. It most often shows up as redness on the roof of the mouth, and it is frequently painless, which is why many people do not realize they have it until a dental exam. It is very common among denture wearers, and it tends to return unless the denture surface and the fit are treated, not just the mouth. This is exactly where the research from Dr. Gunjan Dhir becomes useful, because it targets the denture surface itself.

Signs You May Have Denture Stomatitis

Because it is often painless, denture stomatitis is easy to miss. It is worth booking a visit with Dr. Amine Kaddour-Djebbar if you notice any of these signs:

• Redness or a smooth, shiny patch on the roof of your mouth, often shaped like your denture
• Soreness, tenderness, or a mild burning feeling under the denture
• Cracking or soreness at the corners of your mouth, known as angular cheilitis
• A lingering bad taste or bad breath that cleaning does not fix
• A denture that has started to feel loose or rub against the gum

These signs are usually straightforward to treat once the cause is found. Call (830) 581-2597 or book online. We welcome new patients of every age from Floresville and Wilson County, Texas.

Handing the Surface Back Its Missing Charge

Here is the hinge of the work Dr. Gunjan Dhir contributed to. If the trouble is a missing negative charge, then engineering one back in might solve the problem where it starts. The researchers folded a phosphate bearing ingredient into the acrylic. Phosphate carries a negative charge, so the modified surface should do several useful things at once:

• Attract more of the mouth’s protective salivary proteins
• Feel less hospitable to Candida, the yeast behind denture stomatitis
• Shift the surface from water repelling toward water friendly
• Do all of that without weakening the denture itself

Wettability: The Tell That Proved It

The elegant part is that the surface change is measurable. Scientists describe how water friendly a surface is using contact angle. You place a droplet of water on the material and measure the angle the edge of the drop makes with the surface. A low angle means the water spreads out and the surface is water loving. A high angle means the water beads up and the surface is water repelling.

This matters because Candida clings more eagerly to water repelling surfaces. So if the phosphate is truly reshaping the surface, the material should turn more water loving, showing up as a lower contact angle. That is exactly what the researchers saw. As phosphate went up, the contact angle came down, confirming the surface was moving in the intended, yeast discouraging direction.

If contact angle still feels abstract, picture two hoods on two cars. Splash water on a freshly waxed hood and it pulls into tight beads that roll off, because wax is water repelling and the contact angle is high. Splash the same water on a clean, unwaxed pane of glass and it spreads into a flat sheet, because glass is water loving and the contact angle is low. A standard denture behaves a little like the waxed hood, and that water shedding character is the kind of surface yeast favors. The phosphate nudged the denture surface toward the glass end of that scale. A surface that water wants to cover is a surface the mouth’s watery defenses can reach, and it is a less inviting perch for Candida.

The Trade-Off a Material Scientist Always Watches

Improve one property and you often quietly harm another, and a denture cannot afford hidden costs. It has to survive drops, resist slow cracking for years, grip its false teeth, keep its color, and not swell with water. So the research refused to stop at “does it resist yeast” and asked the harder question: does resisting yeast break anything else?

Across the studies Dr. Gunjan Dhir contributed to, the phosphate modified material held its strength, its fracture toughness, and its tooth bonding within accepted limits, and it stayed color stable at the levels tested, as long as the phosphate stayed inside a balanced range. Push the concentration too high and some properties drift out of range, which is why the research lands on a balance point rather than a bigger dose.

The researchers were also candid that this is early stage evidence. It is promising on the bench, but it still needs biocompatibility and clinical studies before such a material reaches patients. In science, that candor signals quality, not doubt, and it mirrors the careful standard behind denture treatment at Floresville Dental.

How We Treat Denture Stomatitis at Floresville Dental

Treating a denture related yeast problem today is straightforward, and it works because we treat the denture and the tissue together, not just the mouth. When you come in, Dr. Amine Kaddour-Djebbar will:

• Examine the tissue and the denture to confirm what is causing the redness or soreness and to rule out a poor fit as the driver
• Professionally clean the denture, focusing on the fitting surface where the yeast film hides and everyday home cleaning misses
• Correct the fit with a reline when the denture has loosened, since a gap between denture and gum is where irritation and yeast feed each other
• Repair or replace the denture if it is worn past the point a reline can help
• Give you a clear home routine so the problem does not simply come back

Most patients feel better quickly once the denture surface and the fit are addressed. What matters is not waiting, because denture stomatitis is usually painless and easy to leave untreated until it becomes harder to reverse.

What You Can Do at Home

Between visits, a few habits make a real difference. Clean your denture every day, including the underside that rests against your gum. Give the tissue a nightly rest by leaving the denture out when Dr. K advises it, since yeast struggles on a dry surface. Brush your gums, tongue, and palate even if you have no natural teeth, and call us at the first sign of soreness, redness, or a looser fit rather than waiting it out.

Everyday denture care at Floresville Dental is provided by Dr. Amine Kaddour-Djebbar. Dr. K is a proud Texan who grew up in Houston, completed his undergraduate studies at The University of Texas at Austin, and earned his doctorate degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Dentistry. Over the last decade, Dr. K has been providing patient centered dental care throughout southern Texas. He enjoys all aspects of comprehensive dentistry and is dedicated to helping families achieve healthy, confident smiles in a comfortable and welcoming environment.

Your visit is straightforward: complete your new patient forms, have your denture and the tissue underneath examined, and get a clear explanation of your options, whether that is a professional cleaning routine, a reline, a repair, or a new denture. That approach shows in our 4.7 star rating from 531 Google reviews.

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