One of the most common complaints dentists have heard about dental dentures from their patients is that they get dirty very quickly. Once they do, they can become quite difficult to clean afterward, particularly since they lack guidance on how to care for dentures and partials.
Patients need proper guidance regarding dental denture care in situations like these, as it can be long-lasting and lifesaving. In this article, I will explain what steps these patients can take to ensure their dentures are long-lasting and how to perform adequate dental denture care without visiting the dentist and by receiving proper denture care instructions.
What Are Dental Dentures?
Dentures are commonly known as false teeth, providing removable or fixed replacements to the missing teeth. There are three types of dental dentures which are Complete Dentures (Dentures that replace the teeth of the whole upper or lower jaw), Partial Dentures (Dentures that replace one or more missing teeth), and Fixed Dentures (Permanent replacement of one or more missing teeth).
They can be made of different materials, such as acrylic, nylon, or even metal, and are custom-fitted to the shape and size of the patient’s mouth; hence, a unique pattern is present in all dentures. They can help restore the mouth’s function, such as chewing, speaking, restoring a smile, and preventing further Dental Care issues. With the right amount of dental denture care, these replacement aids or prosthesis can go a long way in these patients.
Who Can Use Dental Dentures?
Patients who are over and above the age of 60 are prone to using dentures, and since most of the patients have difficulty remembering, they must be reminded of how to take care of dentures.
Besides old patients, individuals who have caries, gum disease, or have undergone any type of facial trauma or injury are prone to having dentures recommended to them as well. If one or more teeth are missing from the dentition, then dentures are recommended, and denture care instructions must also be memorized.
How To Clean Your Dental Denture?
Now that the prosthesis has been given to the patients by their dentists, it is very important to know the post-operative and dental denture care procedures from the dentist once your denture has been given to you. Here are the steps on how to clean your dental denture and on how to take care of dentures:
- Brush your gums, tongue, and roof of your mouth, along with your natural teeth twice daily in morning and night. Use soft-bristle toothbrushes as it is recommended for adequate dental denture care and hard-bristles can damage your dentures.
- Most denture care instructions will state that they should be cleaned over a towel or on a sink filled with water to reduce the chances of denture breaking.
- Apply a small amount of soap or a denture cleanser to clean the dentures. Do not use regular toothpaste as it is an abrasive and can damage the denture.
- Denture care instructions also state that if you aren’t wearing a denture, place them in cool water or a denture-cleaning solution, as dry dentures can lose shape.
- After brushing or soaking, rinse the dentures to remove the cleaning solution and prevent damage to the gums.
- Another effective way on how to clean your dental dentures is by using an ultrasonic scaler in a liquid denture cleanser to dislodge food debris stuck on the denture.
If patients follow these steps on how to take care of dentures, their dentures will be cleaner than ever, and their longevity will increase significantly. Significant confusion on how to care for denture and partials will also be removed.
How To Make These Dentures Long-Lasting?
To ensure that the dentures have a long sustainability period, it is important to remember to follow the dental denture care protocols and follow the guidelines that their dentists have given. Here are some of the instructions on how to care for dentures and partials in a better way:-
- Remove and rinse your dentures after every meal or snack to prevent food debris from remaining.
- Denture care instructions state that the prosthesis must never be placed in hot water as it can alter the denture’s shape.
- Do not sleep wearing dentures as it can cause accelerated plaque build-up, leading to tooth damage.
- If the denture gets broken, do not try to fix it. Instead, schedule an appointment with the dentist to receive further denture care instructions.
- If you develop mouth sores, gum irritation, or even an infection, schedule an appointment with the dentist for a better fit and new directives on how to take care of dentures.
Also, to prevent them from being lost, store the dentures in a plastic case so that they do not get dirty and they do not get lost either. If these steps of dental denture care are followed, the patient’s well-being will be in good hands.
FAQs about Dental Denture Care
Q1: Can You Use A Dishwasher To Clean Dentures?
Answer: Yes, you can use a mild dishwashing liquid to clean your prosthesis and any concentration higher than that could damage your dentures.
Do revise on the denture care instructions provided to you by your dentist for an adequate quality of dental denture care.
Q2: How Often Should You Clean Your Dentures?
Answer: You should clean your dental dentures/prosthesis twice daily for the optimal amount and quality of dental denture care, which can significantly extend the lifespan of dental dentures since it also follows the dental denture care protocols.
Q3: Should you soak your dentures in water every night?
Answer: Yes, you should soak your dentures in water every night, as explained in the paragraph above, which explains how to take care of dentures, because if the denture remains dry, the chances of the prosthesis getting cracked/broken increase significantly. Try to soak them either in lukewarm water or in an approved dental denture solution as part of the dental denture care protocol.
Q4: What To Do If Your Denture Gets Broken?
Answer: If one of your dental dentures gets broken, you first should find the total pieces of denture and gather them in one place. Once done, deliver the broken denture to the dental clinic from which you had your denture prosthesis made and try to get it repaired.
If the prosthesis cannot be repaired, you will have to start the denture-making procedure again from scratch, and the dentist will have to take your impression of your jaws from where the teeth are missing.
Conclusion
Now that every little detail has been explained to you regarding dental denture care, you can significantly extend the lifespan of your prosthesis by taking the following steps I have explained to you in the above paragraphs, which should improve the way patients know how to care for dentures and partials. They are the same procedures and protocols the dentist tells their patients after receiving their dental prostheses.
The mouth’s functionality will increase with the increased lifespan of your dental dentures/prostheses, provided that the denture care instructions are followed. If you are looking for some of the best denture cleaning solutions or further tips on how to clean your denture, then be sure to visit Aidite’s website, as it is the world’s leading dental solutions company. You can get some of the best Dental Care tips and denture prosthesis adhesives from there.