How To Care For Dentures

You remove your denture every time and clean it while you sleep. This is essential as you cannot wear it while you sleep. You also cannot brush your dentures like your natural teeth, so you’ll need to remove them to prevent bacteria build up, stains and bad smells.

If you want to keep your dentures safe and you want to take proper care of your oral health, adequate dental care is a must. In this guide, we’re sharing some of our favourite tips for caring for dentures to help keep your mouth healthy while also protecting your dentures from damage.

Handle with care

First and foremost, be careful with your dentures. For instance, put a folded towel in front of you when you are handling your dentures or do this over a sink full of water. By doing this you will avoid the consequences of accidentally dropping your dentures.

Dropping your denture could lead to cracks in the prosthetic teeth or damage to the denture plate. If this happens, don’t ignore the problem. Return to the practice to request a denture repair.

Clean every day

Just like teeth, dentures must be brushed and rinsed every day. However, caring for dentures is a little different to caring for your teeth. First, you don’t just focus on the teeth when you are cleaning them. You’ll also need to clean the base plate as this will also capture bacteria and food debris from your mouth. Brushing will also help to remove traces of old denture adhesive that might be stuck to the plate.

You may want to brush your dentures as you would your normal teeth, but you’ll have to remove them. Avoid using an abrasive toothpaste containing ingredients like baking soda or charcoal, as this can scratch the base plate and make it appear less natural-looking.

You should also use a soft-bristled brush to prevent damage. You should brush all the areas on your denture and be especially careful when it comes to the plastic attachments. Finally, don’t forget to rinse them once you are finished with your meal.

Soak with denture cleaner

Using a denture cleaner is another practice that people who wear dentures must follow. In order to clean your dentures, you can use a specialist denture cleaning tablet. This is placed in water and left to dissolve. You then leave your dentures in this water and allow it to soak, usually overnight.

There are special ultrasonic cleaners on the market and you may want to invest in a device like this to take care of your dentures. This special device relies on sound waves for complete cleansing of dentures. Keep in mind however that this device shouldn’t be used as an alternative to brushing.

Store them safely

You should always take good care of dentures even when you are not using them. When they are not in your mouth, they must be stored in a place that has an adequate level of moisture. Use lukewarm water or a soaking solution for this purpose. This will protect your denture from knocks and scrapes and prevent them from getting damaged.

You could also consider a case for your dentures if you won’t be wearing them for a while. Some people also like to have a spare denture so they can switch between the two and minimise the wear on each appliance.

Choose your food wisely

There are certain foods that will be off-limits for those wearing dentures. Hard and crusty food will be too difficult to eat while wearing dentures. Always choose food that you will be confident chewing so that you don’t risk damaging your denture. Chewing ice is not recommended for those wearing dentures, and you should also avoid popcorn with unpopped kernels.

Attend regular checkups

Regular checkups will allow your dentist to spot potential issues with your denture and put things right quickly. The shape of your mouth is likely to change over time, so you may need to have your denture adjusted to the new shape.

If you still have some of your natural teeth remaining, it’s also important to attend checkups so your dentist can keep an eye on your overall oral health. This will usually be every 6-12 months, but your dentist will let you know how often you should book a checkup.

During your checkup, you can also arrange a professional cleaning for your denture. Professional cleaning will help to lift any stains from your food and drink that could be causing your denture to look dull or discoloured.

Need more advice and support with your dentures?

For more advice about caring for dentures, please contact us now. If you are new to wearing dentures and would benefit from a little extra support, we’re here to help. Our team can help you to quickly get to grips with wearing your denture and teach you lots of tips and tricks to help keep it clean and protected from damage. And if the worst should happen and your denture is damaged, we can quickly help to put things right again.