How should I look after my dentures

Just as for people with natural teeth, oral hygiene is important for people who wear dentures. Caring for your dentures can improve the life and appearance of your dentures and help to prevent sores, smells and infections in your mouth. But how should you care for your denture? Here are some key points.

Rinse your dentures after eating

Denture material is not like teeth or gums and certain foods can stick to the surface or get trapped underneath your denture. It is good practice to remove this as soon as you can. After you have eaten you can remove your dentures and rinse them under running water. Be careful to keep hold of them because they can break if you drop them on a hard floor or bench top.

Clean your mouth

If you still have some teeth it is important to continue to brush these teeth. Use a soft toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Brush each surface of your teeth with a circular motion. Remember that brushes work best when the bristles are straight so use a light pressure to prevent the bristles from bending over.

Gently massage any areas of gums that the denture covers like your palate or the ridges where your teeth used to be. Use a soft toothbrush and some toothpaste and gently massage the tissue with the brush.

Brush your dentures

Once a day give your dentures a brush. The material that dentures are made of is much softer than teeth so don’t use toothpaste because they have abrasive particles in them. You can brush them with soapy warm water or with a special denture paste. Use the brush with gentle pressure to clean any bits of food from inbetween the teeth, where the teeth meet the gums and on the inside. It is easiest to get every little bit of food out while it is still soft. Over time these bits can get hard and they become harder to remove.

Soak your dentures

Soaking your dentures can help to soften any small bits of food that get caught in the plastic surface. You can just soak them in water over night if you take your dentures out at night. If you prefer to wear your dentures while you are sleeping soak them for at least 10 minutes. When you are in the shower is a good time to give them a soak. 10 minutes every day is key.

Do not soak your dentures in boiling water, bleach or other household cleaning products. These products can attack the plastic and cause it to loose its colour and become brittle. If you want to give your dentures a deep clean you can use a special denture soaking solution once a week. Give them a good rinse in running water after you are done to get any of the residue cleaning solution off the denture before putting it in your mouth.

Get check-ups

Even with dentures it is important to get regular checkups. See your dentist if you still have some teeth or implants or there is something that seams odd in your mouth. You can also see a clinical dental technician if you have full dentures. These check-ups can help forestall problems with your dentures, help to identify any problems in your mouth and give an opportunity to account for inevitable changes in your mouth with small changes to your dentures. If you have full dentures you should aim to see your clinical dental technician at least every two years unless you are advised to attend more often.

Relines for your dentures

Your body is an efficient machine and when you loose your teeth the bone that supported them is invariably reabsorbed into your body. This can slowly change the fit of your dentures over time. Bad fitting dentures can cause ulcers and be harder to control in your mouth.

The position of your chin when your mouth is closed is determined by the contact of your teeth or dentures. When this bone resorbs you can begin to close your mouth more than you could when you first got your dentures. This can lead to an overclosed aesthetic and can make the face look short and jowly.

A reline is a process where we take impressions inside your current dentures and add more denture material on the inside to account for resorbed bone. This can help extend the life of your dentures and maintain the height of your face.

Your first set of dentures might need several relines in the first few years. If you attend regular checkups we can assess and advise if relines are required.

Replace your dentures regularly

Nothing lasts forever. Dentures are made from plastic which slowly changes it properties over time. The saliva and food in your mouth can break down the plastic making small holes where nasties can begin to live. Good denture hygiene is important but over time it becomes harder to keep the dentures clean. The close proximity of these nasties to your oral tissues can cause inflammation and sores in your mouth.

We recommend that you replace your denture every 10 years to help keep your mouth healthy and your teeth looking great.

We are here to help

If you would like to book in for a regular checkup, to replace your dentures or if there is something worrying you we are here to help.

You can book an appointment with up yourself on our online booking system at https://novodente.co.nz/book or by calling us at 04 888 1444.