After you put your brand-new dentures in your mouth, you love the way they look. They appear natural and don’t feel bad at all too. You want this amazing feeling to last as long as possible! Keeping this feeling and teeth in good shape means having to take care of your dentures. But what is involved with maintaining prosthetic teeth? Keep reading to learn some steps you’ll need to take to preserve them.
Clean Them Every Day
Just as brushing is critical for real teeth, brushing is an essential step of your denture-care routine. You don’t need to use toothpaste, which can be abrasive against the plastic material, and there are special brushes designed specifically for dentures. Failing to brush your replacement every day will result in plaque buildup and eventually lead to infection.
After every meal, you must take out your dentures and rinse them off in clean, lukewarm water to remove bits of food. Otherwise, you could be stuck with debris between your gums and dentures, which can be extremely uncomfortable.
Put a Towel Down While Cleaning and Handling Them
Accidents can happen to anyone. Your slippery dentures may fall out of your fingers as you brush them or take them out, and without a soft, cushiony towel to catch them, your dentures may hit the hard counter, cracking or damaging them.
While you handle them, especially as you clean them, lay down a towel around sink and counter to prevent chips, cracks, and other harm to your dentures.
Soak Them Overnight
If you want to take excellent care of your dentures, you need to remove them and put them in a cup of water or cleansing solution while you sleep. Not only do your gums need to rest from your dentures, but the dentures themselves need this time out of your mouth.
During sleep, you produce significantly less saliva, which allows bacteria to thrive in the biome of your mouth. If you leave your dentures in, bacteria and plaque can form on your dentures, potentially infecting your gums or any other remaining teeth you still have. These bacteria can also make your dentures develop a foul smell! It’s cleaner and safer to soak them through the night, so you have a fresh smile in the morning.
Even though your dentures cannot get cavities or succumb to the same perils as natural teeth, they must be maintained if you want your smile to continue looking and feeling its best!
About the Author
Dr. Dina Cocco has been practicing for about 34 years in the Ann Arbor area. As an active member of the Academy of General Dentistry and other professional organizations, she has advanced training in nearly every aspect of dentistry and restorations, including dentures. If you have questions about denture maintenance or need new prosthetic teeth to complete your smile, contact Dr. Cocco’s office online or call 734-668-8636 for an appointment.