Once you get a denture it is important that you take care of it to keep it in the best condition possible. It is also important to take care of your mouth, even if you don't have any teeth left.
How to clean your denture:
To clean your denture, we recommend you use a soft bristle toothbrush (a kids brush or denture brush works well) and a denture cleanser such as Polident or Sterident to brush away any debris or build up. Do NOT use any toothpaste as it is abrasive that can cause small scratches, damaging and wearing away the denture acrylic. It can also be useful to rinse your denture in water after meals or snacking. If you have trouble cleaning your denture and find that there is a lot of build up or staining you can bring it to us for a thorough clean and polish.
How to look after your oral health with dentures:
To give your gums some time to rest, we recommend that you leave your denture out for some part of the day. Some people like to leave their teeth out overnight while they sleep and others prefer to take them out while they have a shower or another part of the day. Any of these are fine but one key thing to remember is to never let your denture dry out so keeping it in a container of water when it is out of your mouth is a good idea.
Sometimes we forget to look after our mouth once we have lost our teeth but our gums need some care too! For people who have partial dentures it is important to remove your denture for cleaning and brush your remaining teeth as you normally would without the denture in your mouth. If you have no teeth you can clean your gums and tongue with water and a clean finger and you can also use mouthwash.