In dentistry, the term pressure points refers to pressure points caused by dentures.

If a denture does not fit well into the jaw, or was not formed accurately, this can lead to denture pressure points. Here you can see a pressure point of this type, in this case the parodontally destroyed teeth had to be removed from the patient's mouth. The maxillary ridge changes its shape once teeth are extracted, often resulting in pressure points. Anyone who has had a pressure point knows how much this little area can hurt. The denture is removed from this spot, and the dentist checks whether this is a static or a dynamic pressure point.

In the case of a static pressure point a denture usually holds well, only part of the jaw is under more strain due to uneven distribution, and by levelling off the base of the denture, the pressure point is usually removed. In the case of a dynamic pressure point, the denture does not hold as well and moves back and forth during chewing, so that certain areas of the lining of the mouth are under too much strain, resulting in a pressure point. If this pressure point is removed, then a new one eventually forms somewhere else, because the denture just doesn't fit. In this case the denture needs to be redone.

Dentures usually come with some kind of base material, a soft lining. These dentures are capable of conditioning the lining of the mouth when a denture has just been inserted. The soft lining should be replaced by a hard one as soon as possible, however, since the soft lining is not good for the lining of the mouth. Finally, it should be noted that a malignant tumor in the lining of the mouth can start as a pressure point. If, in spite of sanding or re-fashioning of the denture, the pressure point does not heal, then a biopsy needs to be performed on the lining of the mouth in order to rule out the possibility of a tumor.