For those who have dentures, one of the primary goals can be preserving any remaining teeth. While taking care of teeth is one of the main methods of achieving this, it will be all for naught without proper denture care. In fact, proper denture care can be vitally important in preventing further tooth decay. Here are some of the key tips for making sure you keep your dentures in tip-top shape for the rest of your dental health.
Simply Handle With Care
It may seem obvious, but dentures are extremely delicate. If they are broken, it not only costs significant dollars to repair them, but they can introduce several outside influences that may increase decay for any remaining teeth. To protect the dentures, always handle them over a full sink of water, to provide a cushion if dropped, or a folded towel for the same purpose.
Treat Like Regular Teeth
We all know that to take care of regular teeth, one needs to brush and clean them every single day. Even though dentures are not organic and serve as replacements for real teeth, they need to be treated just like regular teeth as a part of a proper cleaning regimen. Brushing them removes plaque and food remnants from dentures as well as prevents staining. As an additional tip, take care of the type of toothbrush used when brushing. Hard bristled brushes can increase the wear and tear damage on dentures, weakening them. Soft bristled brushes accomplish all of the same jobs without the potential increased damage to the denture that can come with a brush that uses harder bristles.
Use the Proper Cleaning Products
Dentures are delicate devices. The wrong cleaning products can be abrasive and wear down a lot faster and weaken the protection against outside agents that cause tooth decay. The first instinct would be to use toothpaste. However, most toothpastes are too abrasive and can’t be used in cleaning dentures. Better alternatives to toothpaste would actually be hand soap or gentle dishwashing soap, both of which are gentle enough to not negatively impact the integrity of dentures. Also, there are specific products made for cleaning dentures that could be used and should be looked into for the most effective denture care.
Even When Not Being Worn, Care is Important
Just because you aren’t using them doesn’t mean dentures don’t need care. Some of the biggest issues that can arise from dentures not being used involve drying out and warping, making them fit poorly and opening up the possibility for plaque traps, which can cause a significant amount of tooth decay or gum damage. Dentures should always be kept moist to ensure they don’t dry out and become damaged. In addition, the water used should not be hot. Hot water can allow dentures to become malleable and warped.
