When your natural teeth can no longer serve their function, dentures can serve as a wonderful alternative. However, like regular teeth, dentures require care and proper maintenance to do their job. Today, we’ll discuss three of the most important things you can do to optimize your dentures experience: maintaining the hygiene of the dentures, maintaining the hygiene of your mouth, and always visiting your dentist before problems creep in!

Maintain the hygiene of your dentures.

A positive experience with dentures starts with keeping them clean. Some of the most basic and important steps to maintain the hygiene of your dentures include:

Brush them at least once a day.

Remember that like normal teeth, dentures too can collect bacteria and debris and require cleaning. When you brush them, it’s recommended that you use a soft-bristled toothbrush and avoid toothpaste.

Soak them overnight.

Trust us—this will give your mouth a much-needed break, and it will promote the cleanliness of the dentures themselves.

Rinse after eating or drinking.

This will prevent debris from building up or getting lodged in any crevices that may be in between your dentures and gums.

Use care when handling.

When taking care of dentures, always make sure to use the utmost care, as dentures are fragile, and could break relatively easily. It’s no good having clean dentures if they’re warped or broken! Never use boiling water to clean them, as that could warp their shape. Steer away from chemicals too harsh for them, such as bleach. When brushing your dentures, you may want to fold up a towel and place it on the counter, just in case your dentures accidentally drop. Remember that dentures are delicate.

Maintain the hygiene of your mouth.

Just as important as looking out for your dentures is looking out for your mouth itself. Whether or not you have any natural teeth remaining, your mouth needs to be taken care of. While you have dentures, we recommend you:

Brush your gums and tongue.

Stomatitis, otherwise known as thrush, is a fungal infection that commonly infects those with dentures. Brushing your gums and tongue goes a long way to prevent this by promoting circulation and getting rid of bacteria that could promote infection. So take a soft-bristled brush and brush your gums and tongue twice a day using toothpaste, even if you don’t have any natural teeth left.

Brush and floss any remaining teeth.

If you do have natural teeth left, don’t neglect to brush them! Partial dentures don’t give a pass on caring for remaining teeth. Maintaining a brushing and flossing regimen with any remaining natural teeth is a crucial part of oral health.

Avoid irritation-causing foods.

Foods like nuts, for example, can be particularly troublesome for those with dentures seeking to maintain a healthy, inflammation-free mouth. As False Teeth Options explains, “As you chew nuts, tiny bits of them can work their way under your dentures. When this happens, your mouth and gums can become irritated. Also, as most people chew nuts on one side of their mouth, denture wearers risk loosening their false teeth or flipping them up.” Avoiding or minimizing your intake of foods that are particularly hard, chewy, or tough will go a long way towards a healthy, irritation-free mouth—ultimately optimizing your experience with dentures.

Visit your dentist before something breaks!

Why go to the dentist if you don’t have any of your natural teeth anymore? It’s a fair question. We understand why it could seem unnecessary. However, this is far from the case.

Going to the dentist is just as necessary after you have dentures as before.

Let’s review some of the benefits those checkups provide:

Professional Cleaning.

They may be prosthetic, but they’re still teeth. Food can get stuck in them, they can stain, plaque can build up—all the normal reasons why you’d want a professional cleaning still apply to your dentures. A professional cleaning from the dentist is an important part of extending their lifespan.

Oral Health Maintenance.

Even if you don’t have any natural teeth left, you still have other parts of the mouth that require a dentist’s attention, such as your gums! Oral cancer, gum disease, and many other conditions can be robbed of much of their destructive power when they are caught early at regularly scheduled checkups. If you do have some natural teeth remaining, that’s all the more reason to go. Those teeth still need the oversight of a dentist, perhaps even more than they otherwise would, since having partial dentures could potentially damage remaining teeth.  

Denture Realigning.

As Hillhurst Denture Clinic notes, it’s normal for gaps to form between the gums and dentures as your jaw changes. Your mouth is getting used to having dentures. However, these gaps allow food to get trapped in them and will not be very comfortable for you. That’s why dentures need to be realigned. They explain: “Also known as denture realignment, denture relining is the process of adding a new lining to your dentures to fill these gaps and help your dentures fit better.” This is a crucial process that should happen about every two years, or sooner as needed.

Preventing Dentures Breaking.

No one wants to have to deal with the hassle of cracked or broken dentures. A common cause of broken dentures is when they don’t fit you properly! Whether due to bone loss or simply adjustment over time, a new fit of the dentures that causes excessive pressure where the dentures weren’t meant to bear that pressure is a recipe for broken equipment. By getting your dentures aligned, they’ll be more comfortable for you and less likely to break on you.

Dentures can feel like a bit of a hassle to manage. The good news is that these three steps are simple. If you follow them, you’re on your way towards a happy, comfortable dentures experience. If you would like to schedule your next appointment with us, please reach out to our office today! We would be happy to see you.