Keeping Dentures Comfortable and Clean

When you’ve lost just one tooth, you have several options for replacing it. A dental bridge or a dental implant can do the job very well. When you’re missing a lot more, neither will work. It’s impractical and expensive to replace each tooth individually.

Keeping Your Dentures Clean And Comfortable

When you have removable dentures like these, you need them to fit right. Otherwise, you can get sore spots on your gums or have to get a new set. To help your dentures last 10 years or longer, make sure you follow these tips.

– Take your removable dentures out each night.

Removable dentures (whether full, partial, or temporary) are designed to be just that: removable. You might be tempted to leave them in overnight. However, that puts extra stress on your gums. They need to rest each night. That means you always need to take out your removable dentures before you go to bed.

– Keep your dentures in water when not in use.

Speaking of how they’re designed, dentures are made for your mouth. That’s a wet environment, so dentures are designed to stay wet the whole time and retain their shape. Consequently, they can warp slightly if they dry out.

When you take your removable dentures out each night, be sure to keep them submerged in water. Dentures can stay out of water for a while, but repeatedly letting them dry out can easily make them fit uncomfortably on your gums.

– Clean them daily using denture toothpaste or denture cleaner.

No, your dentures will not get cavities. However, they can get stained. More importantly, you can still have problems with gum disease or cavities in remaining, natural teeth. When you take dentures out each night, clean them thoroughly.

Do not use regular toothpaste, as that can be too abrasive for dentures. Instead, you can use a special denture toothpaste or traditional denture cleaner. These have the right mix of cleaners and safety to keep your dentures look great for a long time.

– Always use cold or lukewarm water with dentures.

Dentures are supposed to stay wet, which is why you need to keep them is water when not using them. However, some people think they need boiling-hot water. After all, that’s how you get things clean and sterilized, right? While that’s true, it doesn’t apply to removable dentures.

That’s because very hot water can soften your dentures’ base and change it shape. Even just a small change can make your dentures either more prone to falling out or causing discomfort when worn. Stick with cold or lukewarm water. Cleaning your dentures daily will take care of things.

– Be gentle when taking them out or putting them back in.

The replacement teeth in your removable dentures are tough. They handle the same pressure and stress as real teeth. But your dentures are more than just teeth. If you handle your dentures too roughly to drop them on a hard floor, you can damage them.

To help your dentures stay clean and comfortable, take care when handling them. Be gentle and careful when you take them out at night, and again when you put them back in the morning.

– Visit our Hellertown, PA dental office every six months as normal.

You might think that replacing teeth with dentures means fewer trips to the dentist’s office. Actually, the best thing is to keep coming in for an appointment every six months. This allows our dentists to examine your gums, any existing teeth, and the dentures for any problems.

Why Dentures Are A Great Option

You get dentures to replace your teeth. That means you need to keep them clean and comfortable for as long as possible. Call our Hellertown, PA dental office today at (610) 838-0131 and schedule an appointment for a dental exam. Our dentists are experienced enough to help you keep your dentures working right for many years to come.

That’s where dentures come in. They’ve been around for a long time because they are still the best option for replacing a lot of teeth in a row. At Hellertown Dental Group, you can choose from several options, including:

• Temporary dentures are used to give you a complete smile while your permanent replacement teeth are being made.
• Partial dentures replace several teeth in a row in one spot in your smile.
• Full dentures replace all the teeth on the top or bottom of your mouth.

Call us TODAY at (610) 838-0131 or contact us online to schedule your next appointment for dentures.