Daily Denture Care And Tips

Dentures are relatively easy to care for. And when done properly, these appliances can last for several years. Here are some denture care tips from our Clear Lake, Texas dentist.

1. Be Gentle With Your Dentures

Though they are relatively sturdy, dentures are made from plastic so they can potentially break. Be careful not to drop them. Before cleaning your plates, fill the sink with a little bit of water or lay a hand towel down first. If you end up dropping them, their fall will be cushioned. They won’t break like they would if they were to hit a hard counter, sink basin, or the floor.

When brushing your appliances, do so gently. Use a soft-bristled brush. Some dentures have soft liners on the inside which can be compromised if you’re too rough. Also, some partial dentures have flexible clasps that can warp. Make sure you’re only using gentle pressure and room temperature water. Always avoid abrasive cleaners or chemicals.

2. Clean Your Dentures After Eating

Plaque can stick to prosthetic appliances just like it does to natural teeth. As such, it’s important to remove any leftover food from your dentures after you eat. The best thing to do is remove them from your mouth, rinse them under cold or lukewarm water, and brush the plates with a toothbrush or denture brush and some non-abrasive toothpaste.

Brushing your appliances regularly will keep them germ-free and looking new.

3. Soak Your Dentures Overnight

Overnight denture cleaning tablets are safe to soak your appliance in for several hours. Just follow the instructions on the packet to make sure that you’re using the product correctly. Soaking your denture will kill germs, remove bad odors, loosen tartar, and get rid of unsightly stains.

Don’t soak your dentures overnight unless the manufacturer of the specific cleanser says that it’s safe to do so. Soak your appliances for the recommended amount of time, then dump the mixture out into the sink and refill your container with plain water to soak your dentures overnight.

4. Store Your Dentures In A Safe Place

Keep your dentures in a secure place. Dogs will often take their owner’s teeth and make chew toys out of them. Also, don’t place your appliance in a paper towel or tissue, because you can forget that they’re in there and accidentally throw them away. Always store your dentures safely in their denture box if they’re not in your mouth or being cleaned.

7. Preventing Stains

Excessive dark drinks like black coffee and red wine can stain acrylic teeth. Highly pigmented fruits like blueberries can too. Smoking is also not recommended because it can cause heavy stains on dentures.

8. Visit the Dentist Regularly

If you have a traditional, All-on-4 hybrid appliance, or a snap-on denture, then you’ll want to visit our Clear Lake dentist regularly to ensure that your appliance and all the implant components are in good shape.

Our dentist may periodically want to remove your All-on-4 denture so that we can clean underneath it well. And the washers on your snap-on denture will lose their tension over time and need to be replaced.

Yes, even with dentures you’ll want to schedule regular dental checkups to examine your mouth, the appliance, and ensure that your denture is functioning properly.

If you have a partial denture, then we’ll clean the remaining teeth that you have. If you have implants, we can clean around them to ensure that the jaw bone and gum tissue stays healthy.

9. Loose Dentures

If your dentures are loose, you can temporarily use denture adhesive to help hold it in place. There are a variety of different options available in the toothpaste aisle of the pharmacy. Adhesive pastes, powders, or strips are all popular. The one that you use is a personal preference. You could try them all and decide which one you prefer.

Our Clear Lake dentist may be able to reline the inside of your plate to get it to fit more snuggly, so if your loose denture becomes a nuisance be sure to let us know.

Dentures in Clear Lake

The team of Rosas Family Dentistry loves to see the senior citizens of the Clear Lake, Texas area. We’re here to help you with all of your denture needs. Whether you think that it’s time to transition into a denture, or you have had the same one for many years and think you may need a reline or even a brand new set of teeth, we can give you our recommendation and help you along the process. Give us a call today to schedule a denture consultation.