Taking care of your dentures

Dentures

Having dentures for the first time in your life is an experience that most don’t want to have. Most people are not happy with their dentures and go through a regret process as to “I should have taken better care of my teeth”. Sometime, it feels so uncomfortable against your gums especially if your dentures are not fitted well. Gum infection can also occur. However, these problems can be avoided if you have the right type of denture and especially one that fits good and also very important if you know how to give proper care for your dentures.

What are dentures?

If your teeth are decayed or broken and reconstruction is impossible, dentures become the replacement of the lost tooth or set of teeth. There are different types of dentures, mainly their material that is being used.

What are the common problems with dentures?

There are several problems that can be encountered with dentures. Here are some things you may experience:

• Discomfort. It really feels so uncomfortable when there is
  

  Sore from denture

  something foreign inside your mouth for long hours, especially if it is not fitting correctly. Presence of foreign bodies inside the mouth is a stimulus that sends message to the salivary gland to produce more saliva. This is an additional disturbance in having dentures. This is only short-lived.

• Gagging. You may experience this because your mind has an psychological denial of the new dentures. If you are already a gagger, then it’s even more difficult. Some patients can never adjust to this especially for an upper denture, not so much for the lower.
• Adjustment of the denture. Sometimes new dentures may need to be adjusted in areas that may be causing pain or sores. The gums can also get swollen and can develop blisters.
• Accumulation of bacteria at the gums. The contact between the denture and the gums is a nice place for bacteria to increase in number and attack your oral cavity.
• Instability. Laughing, yawning and/or chewing may cause your
  

  Loose Dentures

  dentures to fall off. 

What are the things you have to do when you have dentures?

Dentures need proper care, too often they are not. Dentures that are not properly cleaned, harbor bacteria and can also cause fungal infections. Here are some tips to care for your dentures:

• Clean regularly. Use a toothbrush to clean all surfaces of your dentures daily, especially the inside surfaces where the denture contacts the gums. Rinse your dentures after every meal.
• Build up of tartar and stains are possible in dentures. You do not
  

  Denture Cleaner

  want that unsightly discoloration on it. You may use cleaning products once a week if needed to remove stains.

• Gargle and rinse with mouth wash. Keep bad breath away. Choose the non-alcohol content rinse to keep your oral cavity healthy.
• Do not boil dentures. Hot water can alter the original shape.
• Soak it in a tap water if you are not using it.
• During the first two weeks, your dentist may advise you to wear your dentures even during sleep. However, if the circumstances are normalized, you have to remove it for at least eight hours a day. This will promote normal salivary flow and will give rest to your oral tissues. It also prevents fungal infections because if you were your dentures during sleep, this creates a moist and warm environment for fungus to grow.

Dentures are replacements of your teeth. It restores your original facial features. Proper care is needed to keep them last longer. This post should have given you tips on dentures: how to take care of them.

By: Ladan Zinati