From smiling to chewing to speaking, your dentures play a big role in your life. When you know how to care for your dentures properly, you’ll not only preserve their shape and a comfortable fit, but you’ll also keep them looking clean and bright. These tips can help you care for your dentures and keep them in great condition.
How to Care for Your Dentures: 8 Tips to Keep Your Dentures Clean and Comfortable
Knowing how to care for your dentures properly means practicing good day-to-day maintenance, storing your dentures properly, and also making regular appointments to ensure that your dentures fit comfortably. Each of these things will help to fight stains and odors on your dentures, keep bacteria away, and help maintain the shape of your dentures.
Cleaning Tips
Keeping your dentures clean is one of the most important care tips. When you clean your dentures, you’re fighting bacteria, stains and bad breath. Knowing how to care for your dentures and keep them clean will also make them more comfortable long-term.
1. Brush Your Dentures Carefully
Your dentures are very similar to regular teeth, and brushing helps to remove stuck-on stains and food particles. However, your dentures are made from different material than regular teeth. Regular toothbrushes and toothpaste are made for the tough, smooth surfaces of tooth enamel. Dentures, though sturdy, don’t have tooth enamel, and a regular toothbrush is too abrasive.
It’s important to brush your dentures regularly, at least once a day, and to use a soft toothbrush. Denture toothbrushes have softer bristles and they are designed to more easily clean all surfaces of your dentures. Denture toothpastes don’t use the small, abrasive particles that many other toothpastes use to scrub teeth. Using these soft-bristled brushes and non-abrasive toothpastes will help your dentures last longer and stay cleaner.
2. Brush Your Gums and Tongue
Whether you have partial dentures or full dentures, it’s important to clean all parts of your mouth, not just your dentures. Remember that bacteria and plaque can build up on any part of your mouth. Brushing your gums, tongue and palate will help to remove bacteria and fight bad breath.
If you have partial dentures, remember to brush your other teeth, as well as your gums, tongue, and palate, twice a day. Flossing between your other teeth will also help to remove bacteria and keep your teeth healthier. If you have full dentures, brush your gums, tongue and palate with a soft-bristled brush.
3. Use Cleaning Tablets
Denture-cleaning tablets can help your dentures stay clean and fresh. Let your dentures sit in the fizzing solution for about 15 to 20 minutes, or as instructed. These tablets use gentle detergents or types of mild bleach to disinfect dentures and get rid of stains.
Some DIY cleaning methods, such as baking soda, vinegar or lemon juice mixed with water, have been used in the past to clean dentures, and these can be effective if you do not have tablets or pastes made for dentures. However, it’s important to dilute these mixtures properly. If the solution is overly acidic (vinegar and lemon juice are weak acids) or basic (baking soda forms a basic solution in water), it can damage the acrylic resin in the dentures. Before using these DIY methods, talk to your dentist or denture specialist first.
4. Rinse
After cleaning your dentures with a tablet or paste, thoroughly rinse them. Generally, the detergents or cleaning agents in the tablets or pastes shouldn’t sit on the dentures for long periods, so a rinse will clean them off. This will also help to eliminate any unpleasant taste that might be left behind from the cleaning agents.
Denture Storage Tips
Properly storing your dentures when you’re not wearing them is another important part of knowing how to care for your dentures. You should store your dentures in a safe place at night, or whenever you’re not using them. These tips can help to prevent damage or warping.
5. Clean Container
Just like dry mouth can be harmful to other parts of your mouth, your dentures shouldn’t get too dry either. Many people store their dentures in a glass or cup of water. Make sure that the container is clean and your dentures are clean before you put them in the water. Repeatedly reusing the water or the cup without cleaning it will promote bacterial growth, which can cause illness and bad breath.
6. Be Careful Around Hard Surfaces
When taking your dentures out or putting them in, it’s helpful to cover hard surfaces, such as bathroom countertops, with a towel. This way, if you drop your dentures, they’re less likely to crack. Remember, no one ever plans to drop and damage their dentures. Extra precautions can help your dentures last longer.
7. Secure Spot
Safe, secure storage is another precaution that will help your dentures last longer. You might store your dentures in their container on the bathroom counter, in the corner, to be sure it isn’t knocked over. Look for a secure spot that is out of the way and isn’t too high up, so there’s little risk of the container falling or getting knocked over.
Dental Care
Your dentures are designed to fit your mouth, but the fit may change over time. Dental experts will help to keep your dentures fitting comfortably, and prevent other issues. Finding a reliable dentist or specialist is essential to take care of your dentures long-term.
8. Regular Dental Visits
Make annual appointments with your dentist or specialist and talk about the fit and condition of your dentures. If you have any sore spots, lesions, or bleeding anywhere in your mouth, tell your dental expert.
If you are looking for a dental expert to help with your dentures, make an appointment with us. Our experts can help with the fit of your dentures, or any other issues you may have.
