When you have lost your natural teeth, dentures are an affordable and efficient way to replace them. A well-maintained set of dentures not only helps you to maintain the shape of your face and chew your food, but it also helps you to deliver a beautiful and confident smile. In order to keep your dentures clean, you will need to perform a regular care routine. These three steps will help you to maintain clean and odor-free dentures.
1. Brushing
Brushing your dentures is one of the most important actions that you can take in order to keep them clean. To properly brush your dentures, begin by rinsing them with tap water. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and a denture cleanser to brush all of the artificial tooth crowns. Make sure that the denture cleanser that you choose is approved by the American Dental Association. These products prevent the denture from getting scratched. When you finish brushing the denture, rinse off the residue from the denture cleanser. In addition to gently brushing the dentures, you will also need to brush all of the surfaces of your mouth after removing the dentures. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to gently stroke your gum tissue, palate, tongue and the area under your tongue. This helps to remove plaque and stimulates circulation. According to the American Dental Association, you should brush your mouth once per day in the morning. After cleaning the dentures, you can put them into your mouth or into a container for soaking if you do not plan to wear them right away.
2. Soaking
When you are not wearing your dentures, you will need to soak them in a container of water. The container can be anything that accommodates the dentures without squeezing or contorting them. Most people use a shallow glass to soak dentures. Fill the container with enough tap, filtered or bottled water to fully cover all of the surfaces of the dentures. Denturehelper.com said, “Soaking your dentures also protects them from warping when they are not being worn.” When you are ready to resume wearing the dentures, lift them out of the container and put them into your mouth. You can dump the soak water down the drain.
3. Changing Your Eating Habits
You may also need to make some changes to your eating and drinking habits once you become a denture wearer. There are many foods that can leave stains on teeth, including the artificial tooth crowns that make up the part of the dentures that are visible when you smile. Preventing stains on dentures is much easier than trying to get rid of them afterward, because whitening toothpastes, mouth rinses and bleaches cannot be used on dentures. Some drinks to avoid include red wine, tomato juice, red grape juice, black tea and coffee. Foods can also leave stains behind on your dentures. Foods that stain include beets, chocolate, tomatoes and red cabbage. If you enjoy any of these beverages or foods, be sure to rinse your dentures as soon as you finish your drink. For the best results, remove the dentures before consuming these beverages and foods. If you are a smoker or you use tobacco products such as chewing tobacco, keep in mind that the nicotine can stain your dentures. Nicotine stains cannot be brushed or rinsed off of the artificial tooth crowns.
It will also be important for you to continue visiting your dentist even when all of your teeth are missing, explains the Medline Plus website. During a dental exam and cleaning, your dentist will check the fit of your dentures. The dentist will check to see if you have any irritated areas on your gum tissue and if your jaws are maintaining their bone mass. Your dentist can also professionally polish the denture and provide you with recommendations for products to use and for your oral health care routines.
