How best to care for your dentures
Dentures may feel strange to begin with, it may be difficult to speak and eat, but you will soon get used to wearing them. We encourage you to wear your dentures all the time at first.
If you remove your dentures, they should be kept moist to prevent them from drying out and changing shape – keep them in water or wrapped in some dampened cotton wool, or an overnight denture cleaning solution.
Keeping your mouth clean is just as important when you wear dentures. You should brush your remaining teeth, gums, and tongue every morning and evening with fluoride toothpaste to prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and other dental problems.
It is important to regularly remove plaque and food deposits from your dentures, unclean dentures can lead to bad breath, oral thrush, tooth decay, and gum disease. Clean your dentures along with your teeth, at least twice a day.
You should:
Brush your dentures with toothpaste or soap and water before soaking them to remove food particles
Soak them in a fizzy solution of denture-cleaning tablets to remove stains and bacteria (follow the manufacturer’s instructions)
Brush them again as you would your normal teeth (but don’t scrub them too hard)
Dentures may break if you drop them, so you should clean them over a bowl or sink filled with water, or something soft like a folded towel.
You should continue to see your dentist regularly if you have dentures (even if you have complete dentures) so they can check for any problems.
Your dentures should last several years if you take good care of them, but your gums and jawbone will eventually shrink, which means the dentures may not fit as well as they used to and can become loose, or they may become worn.
See your dentist as soon as possible if:
- Your dentures click when you’re talking
- Your dentures tend to slip, or you feel they no longer fit properly
- Your dentures feel uncomfortable
- Your dentures are visibly worn
- You have signs of gum disease or tooth decay, such as bleeding gums or bad breath
If poorly fitting or worn dentures aren’t replaced, they can cause great discomfort and lead to mouth sores, infections, or problems eating and speaking.
