Tips On Caring For Your Dentures
How To Care For Your DenturesYour dentures will last longer and fit better if you take proper care of them. Our denturists in Seattle always emphasize these three things to keep your dentures in good shape.
- Clean dentures daily: Brush your dentures each day the same way that you would brush your teeth, with one key difference: Skip the toothpaste. Many commercial types of toothpaste can damage dentures. Instead, use a soft-bristle denture brush designed specifically for cleaning dentures and water to brush all surfaces of the dentures, but be careful not to bend any attachments. Rinse your dentures with water after each meal. You can buy specialized denture cleaners for soaking dentures, but soaking is not a substitute for brushing—you need to brush the dentures to remove plaque.
- Treat dentures right: Fill the sink with water or place a folded towel in it when handling your dentures so you don’t break them if they should fall into the sink. When you aren’t wearing your dentures, let them soak in cool water or a denture-cleaning solution to keep them from drying out. Be careful of cleaning solutions if your dentures have metal attachments—the solutions could cause the metal to tarnish. And don’t soak dentures in hot water—they could warp.
- Remove your dentures every night: This allows the gum tissue beneath them a chance to rest.
How to Clean Dentures
- Rinse your dentures thoroughly in warm water to remove any food residue.
- Your dentures need to stay moist to keep their shape. Put your dentures in a denture solution overnight.
- Use a denture brush to completely clean all surfaces of your dentures.
- Rinse your dentures with a mouthwash after brushing to give your mouth a refreshed feeling.