Dr. Gunjan Dhir and Denture Care at Crystal Smiles in Hillsboro

• Dr. Gunjan Dhir is a prosthodontist and a co founder of Altius Dental, the group that operates Crystal Smiles in Hillsboro, Texas.
• The research was published in the Journal of Prosthodontics in 2007 and examined the physical properties of denture-base resins potentially resistant to Candida adhesion.
• Denture stomatitis keeps coming back because the yeast lives on the denture surface, not only in the mouth.
• Crystal Smiles offers full and partial dentures, implant retained dentures, and denture relines to keep your fit healthy.
• Denture care in Hillsboro is led by Dr. Atemnkeng Forwang and the Crystal Smiles team.

Who Is Dr. Gunjan Dhir?

Dr. Gunjan Dhir is a prosthodontist and a co founder and Chief Dental Officer of Altius Dental, the group that operates Crystal Smiles. Prosthodontics is the branch of dentistry that focuses on replacing missing teeth with dentures, bridges, and implants, so denture care sits right at the center of her training.

The research was published in the Journal of Prosthodontics in 2007 and examined the physical properties of denture-base resins potentially resistant to Candida adhesion. You can read her professional profile on her Altius Dental bio.

In short, Dr. Gunjan Dhir studied the material your denture is made of, not just the teeth on the front of it. That focus on how a denture behaves in a real mouth over years is the same standard Crystal Smiles brings to denture patients across Hillsboro and Hill County.

Why Denture Stomatitis Keeps Coming Back

Denture stomatitis keeps returning because the yeast that causes it lives on the denture itself, not only in the mouth. The condition shows up as a red, sometimes sore patch under a denture, most often on the roof of the mouth. It is one of the most common problems denture wearers face, and it is frequently painless, so many people do not notice it until a routine visit.

The reason it is so stubborn comes down to biology. Natural teeth are coated by a thin film of saliva that carries the mouth’s own defense proteins, which help keep microbes in balance. Standard denture acrylic does not attract those proteins as well, partly because it lacks a certain surface charge.

That leaves the warm, covered underside of a denture as easy territory for a yeast called Candida albicans to form a sticky film. Antifungal medicine can reduce the yeast for a while, but if the denture surface keeps holding that film, the problem returns. This is exactly the cycle Dr. Gunjan Dhir’s research aimed to interrupt at the source.

Denture Materials Resistant to Candida Adhesion

The research asked a simple but powerful question: what if the denture material itself could be given the surface charge it is missing? In theory, adding a small amount of a charged component could make the surface less friendly to yeast and more welcoming to the mouth’s natural defense proteins at the same time.

The catch is that a denture cannot only resist yeast. It also has to be strong, hold its shape, and keep its color through years of eating, drinking, and cleaning.

The study, published in the Journal of Prosthodontics, examined whether modifying denture-base resin could influence its resistance to Candida adhesion while maintaining the physical properties required of a functional denture material.

What the Research Found

The results were careful and honest, which is what strong research looks like. A lower concentration of the charged component kept the material’s strength, stiffness, water absorption, and color within accepted standards. A higher concentration pushed some of those properties past acceptable limits, which showed there is a balance point rather than a more is better answer.

Color and staining stayed within a range that patients would not notice. The takeaway is clear: a carefully balanced, charge modified denture material can meet the strength and durability a real denture needs while aiming to resist the yeast behind denture stomatitis.

The study was upfront that larger clinical trials are still needed before a material like this reaches patients, which is the responsible way to describe promising early research. You can read the full study on PubMed.

What This Means for Your Denture Care in Hillsboro

You do not need to follow the science to benefit from the mindset behind it. What matters day to day is that your denture fits well, is cleaned properly, and is checked over time, and that is the everyday work at Crystal Smiles. Our team offers a full range of denture services including full and partial dentures, implant retained dentures for a more secure fit, and denture relines and soft liners to keep an existing denture comfortable.

That maintenance is where the research comes home. A denture that has loosened or begun to rub is not just uncomfortable. It is the kind of setting where a poor fit and yeast overgrowth feed each other. Regular exams and timely relines are one of the simplest, most effective ways to keep the tissue underneath healthy.

A few daily habits make a real difference between visits:

• Leave your dentures out while you sleep, if your dentist says it is safe, so the tissue can breathe and the acrylic can dry out overnight.
• Brush the denture once a day with a denture cleaner and a soft brush, and do not skip the underside that rests against your gum, where film hides.
• Look after the mouth itself too, running a soft brush over your gums, tongue, and palate even when no natural teeth remain.
• Treat new soreness, redness, or a looser fit as a reason to call, not something to wait out, because this problem rarely announces itself with pain.

Day to day care at Crystal Smiles in Hillsboro is led by Dr. Atemnkeng Forwang, working to the same evidence first standards Dr. Gunjan Dhir brought to the study of denture materials.

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