Many people with or without dentures have thought it is easier to keep your mouth clean and healthy if you have no or few teeth. This is not the case. Whether you have a full denture or partial it is important to keep a thorough oral hygiene routine. Cleaning your dentures and gums is easy once you know how. Take a look at why your oral health is important and tips to keep your dentures clean and long lasting.
Why Is Oral Health So Important?
Taking care of teeth, gums and dentures is very important. By having a regular and thorough hygiene regime you can avoid dental issues. Some common problems you can avoid are gum disease and oral thrush. Gum disease otherwise known as gingivitis occurs when plaque builds under or along the gum line. When the plaque is left your gums can become sore, can bleed and can result in other infections. Thrush is a common condition for people with dentures. It occurs when a fungus grows and causes infection. This causes sore areas and can result in a change in your dentures if not treated.
It isn’t just medical issues that can be caused by not looking after your oral health. If you do not look after your dentures you may find aesthetic problems such as staining and chipping of the denture.
How to Look After Your Dentures and Mouth
Looking after dentures is a little different than caring for your teeth. You should remove your dentures daily for cleaning, the best time would be before you go to bed. It is advised that when you remove your dentures you should do so over a towel or water in case your drop your dentures. The towel or water will break the fall so your dentures won’t crack or chip. If the dentures do get broken you can get easy and fast denture repairs.
To clean your dentures, you should begin by rinsing them in water. Avoid using very hot water as it can change the denture shape. Then you should use a soft toothbrush with denture toothpaste and softly brush the dentures. This will remove food and plaque. You cannot use toothpaste for natural teeth as it is abrasive and will damage the denture. Another way to clean is with a denture solution which will clean your dentures during the time you are asleep. It is recommended to take your dentures out while you sleep to avoid mouth irritation.
If you have a partial denture you should combine your routine for your natural teeth and add in the routine mentioned above for your denture. Remove your partial denture, clean it and then clean your natural teeth as normal.
How Can a Denture Specialist Help?
A denture specialist can assist you with many things. These include:
- Denture Repair
- Emergency Denture Repair
- Denture Fitting
- Issues with Dentures
- Advice for Wearing and Cleaning Dentures
To learn more about how to look after your mouth and your dentures, speak to your local dentist or denture specialist
