No different than your natural teeth, daily denture care and cleaning is essential for continued oral health and denture integrity. We’ve curated a list of daily duties to keep your dentures bright and white:
- Rinse and brush your denture(s) after every meal. When brushing your dentures, use a denture brush, warm water and a denture cleaning paste or mild detergent. Do not use toothpaste on your denture because it’s abrasive and can dull the shine of your denture. Give some extra love to the spaces between the ‘teeth’ and the areas that come in direct contact with your gums. Avoid breakage by placing a towel on your counter or sink so in case you drop your denture during cleaning!
Pro tip: When brushing your lower denture, be sure to hold it in the middle. Accidentally squeezing both sides together can cause breakage! - Gently brush your gums, use a tongue scraper to remove debris and clean the roof of your mouth with a moistened super soft toothbrush. This will help stimulate blood circulation, tone gum tissue and promote healing.
- Rinsing your mouth with mouthwash periodically will help minimize bacteria and help to keep your breath nice and fresh.
- Your denture should be removed daily and placed with a covered container with a denture soaking cleanser to kill bacteria. This not only will keep your denture clean, but will give the supporting tissues in your mouth a chance to rest. Do not sleep with your dentures in.
- When your denture is not being worn and is not in a soaking cleanser, it should be stored in a covered container filled with water to prevent drying out and possible dimension changes of the denture base materials.
When you’re ready to wear your denture again, we recommend thoroughly rinsing it in warm water before putting it back in your mouth.
Daily cleaning of your dentures is a necessary practice to prevent plaque and tartar build up, as well as avoiding staining, bad breath and infections and irritations.
A number of factors can lead to denture staining, including dry mouth from medications as well as certain foods and beverages such as red wine, berries, coffee, tea, curries and more. Rinsing your mouth and dentures following meals will help to reduce staining and build-up on your dentures. Stick with a routine of the above steps and make sure you use an approved cleaning solution and your dentures will stay white and bright for the long haul!
Don’t forget, Battell Denture Clinic offers annual check-up appointments and one of the key things we will be assessing is denture integrity to make sure your dentures are fitting right and looking good. Questions about cleaning best practices or need to schedule a professional denture cleaning? Contact us at the Battell Denture Clinic today and we’ll be happy to help!
