6 essential denture care tips
Dr. D.Sendhil Nathan MDS, DNB Prosthodontics And Implantology
Dentures are Prosthetic appliances useful in replacing missing tooth or teeth by getting support from the adjacent teeth. When you prefer removable dentures or fixed dentures, make sure that the custom-made dentures do not cause any discomforts. Otherwise, the discomfort levels stimulated by the poor fitting of dentures cause serious dental health issues.
Similar to poor denture fittings, poor care on dentures are taken advantage by oral bacteria and put your oral health at risk.
Proper care on dentures is essential for the false teeth and the person’s mouth who wears a denture. Here are important denture care tips are given by our Prosthodontists.
1. Avoid denture damage
There will be a crack or break on a denture if it falls down. When a person wears such chipped or damaged dentures, it will not fit rightly with his/her mouth. It will result in irrigating the person’s gum tissues and lead to sores. Hence it is better to handle the prosthodontic appliance with great care.
If you wear a denture, then you should fold the denture with a towel or place it in water when you remove the false teeth from your mouth.
2. Keep the denture in a moist condition
It is mandatory to pull out the dentures when the wearer goes to sleep. Otherwise, one can keep the denture in his/her mouth until they can. When you remove the false teeth from your mouth, you have to keep it wet. This is because the acrylic material in denture loses its shape and becomes brittle.
Keep the denture in water or liquid solutions like denture solution to maintain the moisture in the false teeth.
3. Avoid smoking
Smoking is associated with various dental health problems. It is efficient to make your denture a breeding ground for bacteria if you smoke with fitting dentures.
Besides stains on the dentures, consuming tobacco by smoking cause gum diseases which loosen the denture fittings. As we know, smoking reduces the salivary flow in the mouth, it makes the prosthesis dry.
4. Brush and Rinse the denture
Plaque deposition and stains are also common in dentures. This push the denture wearer to properly brush and rinse the false teeth to extract the food debris deposited in the denture.
You should use a toothbrush with soft bristles to clean the denture because hard bristles are effective to scratch and damage the dentures. While cleaning the prosthesis, it is enough to gently brush all the denture surfaces.
5. Utilize denture cleaner
While brushing or cleaning the dentures, avoid using toothpaste to clean them. This is because certain kinds of toothpaste are abrasive and may chip the dentures.
You can easily mild dishwashing liquids, handsoaps and denture cleaning solutions easily in pharmacies and supermarkets. Use them to extract the stains on the white portions of the dentures. These cleaning agents will help you to keep the fake teeth clean and white.
6. Consult your dentist to repair dentures
Dentures require periodic adjustments over a period of time. It is indicated by loose or uncomfortable denture fittings. When the shape of your mouth changes, recession in gum ridges, dentures become loose and need to be adjusted.
In such cases, you need to visit your Dentist or Prosthodontist to repair and modify the false teeth.
Conclusion
Similar to the natural teeth, false teeth you acquired with dentures also require proper care. Whatever the type of dentures including implant retained dentures you get, you should take care of them with the above-mentioned tips or as per your Dentist suggests.
