It might take some time adjusting to your new smile and the proper denture care you should be doing. This is completely normal, but with a bit of practice and some education, you’ll begin to feel like you don’t even have dentures, and everything will be second nature. With that comfort, some people begin to lack taking care of their dentures properly. Let’s take a look at four bad habits you should avoid.
Now, it’s important to differentiate between not wearing them regularly and giving your mouth a break. You shouldn’t wear your dentures 24/7. You should give your mouth a 6-8 hour break every day. The best time of day to do this is usually at bedtime. This allows your gums and soft tissues time to recover and heal and also allows your dentures to get a proper cleaning.
What we’re referring to here is taking your dentures out when you’re home alone and leaving them to sit on the dresser. Wearing your dentures on a regular basis allows your mouth to get used to them. They will begin to take the proper shape of your mouth by doing this. If you leave them out on the dresser, they can become dry and brittle, which can cause them to crack and break easily.
Daily cleaning will help to prevent the buildup of bacteria, germs, and plaque, all of these can increase your risk of not only bad breath but dental infections and even stained teeth. To help increase the life of your dentures and prevent these things from happening, you will want to ensure you clean them regularly. Just like natural teeth, you should be brushing your dentures at least 1-2 times a day to remove any food debris and bacteria. Rinsing your dentures after eating is beneficial. Ensure you stay on a regular cleaning schedule to help keep your dentures clean and sparkly.
Removing your dentures at bedtime allows them to soak in a solution of water and an approved denture cleaner. This helps to keep your dentures moist, which helps to prevent them from drying out. Not only does this give your dentures time to get properly cleaned, but you will also be giving your mouth and gums the much-needed recovery period it requires each day.
Some people will just put their dentures in water and think they’re properly cleaned. Unfortunately for those people, this is not the case. Water is not enough to clean and kill bacteria or plaque on your dentures. You should be using a soft-bristle denture brush to brush your dentures daily. Hard bristle will scratch and damage your dentures. Rinse them out between meals with lukewarm water; hot water can deform or warp the shape of your dentures, causing them to fit incorrectly. There are many ways you can provide the proper denture care to enhance and extend the life of your dentures!
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