Denture Care — A Simple Guide
Denture Care Made Easy
Just like natural teeth, dentures require a regular and thorough cleaning routine if you want to keep them spotless and make sure your oral health stays at a desirable level overall. Fortunately, a satisfactory formula for clean dentures is by no means complex, and the main ingredient is nothing other than a little bit of patience and discipline.
In the following paragraphs, we’ll see what the best way to clean dentures is, and we’ll walk you through some of the chief steps towards enviable oral hygiene. Should you need any dental services or further tips, however, head to this link and put all your worries to rest.
How to Clean Dentures
It is sometimes said that the right attitude gets half the job done, and that certainly holds for oral hygiene. That is, the best way to make sure your dentures stay pristine is to approach them as you would approach your natural teeth. They perform the same function, after all, and the mouth is a rather sensitive part of our body. If nothing else, if you have dentures, you depend on them when eating, speaking, and presenting yourself, so making sure they last you a long time is imperative.
1. Removing the Dentures
Unless you have permanent dentures, the first step is, of course, removing them. Naturally, you ought to be careful, even if it’s just partial dentures that you’re dealing with. First, simply gargle some warm water to loosen the dentures and remove any residual food particles from your gums. Then, gently remove the dentures by applying equal pressure with your fingers on both sides and gently rocking them until they come off. Make sure not to damage or drop them!
2. Rinsing and Brushing
The next step is simple: gently hold the dentures and rinse them under warm water. Just like with gargling, the goal here is simply to get rid of the least persistent food residue, not to get into every nook and cranny. That’s what you’ll be doing in the next step.
Namely, once you’re done rinsing, you should give your dentures a long, thorough cleaning with a toothbrush. Ideally, you should use a special denture brush and a non-abrasive toothpaste (or even a denture cleanser), but even your regular brush and toothpaste will work if you’re out of options. However, you should not make it a habit since harsh bristles and strong chemicals can damage and discolor your dentures, which typically makes it easier for bacteria to nest in and multiply.
3. Cleaning Your Mouth
Naturally, if you don’t have complete dentures, you should floss and brush your natural teeth as well. The same goes for the roof of your mouth, your tongue, gums, etc. The gums are, of course, the tricky part, so you should be extra careful and use only the softest of brushes when cleaning them. You can also use a mild mouthwash before or after reinstalling your dentures to ensure your mouth feels fresh and to relieve any possible gum irritation.
Maintenance Tips
Having an elaborate cleaning routine is, of course, only one of the things you can do to make your dentures stay in mint condition for a long time. If you want to give them a royal treatment, you should take some extra steps and make oral health your priority. Here are some essential tips:
1. Doing It Frequently
Being thorough when cleaning your dentures is only a part of it — you have to do it regularly too. Every day, to be more precise. Of course, you would ideally do it after every meal, but that is usually not very doable for most people. Instead, you can use mouthwash as a quick solution during a busy day, but make sure you set some time aside every day for a scrupulous cleaning procedure such as we described above.
2. Soaking Your Dentures
If you have traditional dentures and you aren’t planning on putting them back on once you’ve cleaned them, for example, before bed, you should soak them overnight. If you can, you should always use denture solutions, but warm water will do the trick as well. Of course, different types of dentures require different soaking solutions, so be sure you consult your dentist and get only the most suitable products.
3. Regular Check-Ups
This part is a no-brainer. Scheduling regular appointments with your dentist is crucial for maintaining excellent oral hygiene. And that is especially the case when you have dentures because they’re just another thing to worry about. Visiting a professional regularly will help you spot signs of any potential health issues as well as any problems with the dentures themselves. They might get loose over time or get scratched, which in turn causes infections and other nasty problems.
What to Avoid
We’ve already mentioned some things you should avoid for optimal denture care, such as harsh brushes, for example. But, some questions still remain, the most important one being whether there are some other things you should stay away from. The answer is, naturally, yes.
First of all, you should try to avoid whitening toothpaste. They are usually designed for natural teeth, and some ingredients that go into making them, such as peroxide, have the opposite effect on dentures. You want to know how to clean partial dentures and whether the same applies? Well, yes. Partial dentures might be smaller, but they’re still made using the same materials, so you’ll want to make sure they don’t get into contact with anything abrasive.
Secondly, you really shouldn’t make it a habit to sleep with your dentures. Removing them before bed will help prevent bacteria build-ups and reduce pressure on your gums. Thus, you will make cleaning them much easier, and you’ll save yourself an extra trip to the dentist by reducing the chances of inflammation. And, of course, removing your dentures at night will help prolong their lifespan.
