Are you wearing a denture? Please find below few important points to know how to take care of your dentures.
- New dentures always feel strange when first placed in your mouth. Several days or even a few weeks will be required for you to feel accustomed to them.
- Sore spots, tissue irritation and ulceration are common immediately after you first put your new dentures in. In case of them persisting even after a week, meet your dental professional to aid you in getting rid of the same.
- Difficulty in speech and chewing is common during the first week. This varies in each individual depending upon their adaptability to new foreign substance in their mouth.
- Your upper denture will rest comfortably in place with moderate-to-strong “suction.” Although your lower denture will have good stability, it is infrequent that “suction” can be expected on a lower denture. We suggest that you avoid denture adhesives unless you have extreme difficulty.
- Do not wear your dentures during nights. This would be the breathing time for your gums. The gum tissue needs to rest and to allow normal stimulation and cleansing by the tongue and saliva in order to promote better long term health of your gums.
- Brush your gums, tongue and palate every morning with a soft-bristled brush before you insert your dentures.This stimulates circulation. Hence shrinkage occurs less in your tissues and this also helps to remove plaque (soft food deposits) and also avoids bad breath.
- Clean your dentures by brushing them daily. This will remove food deposits, and help prevent them from becoming stained. An ultrasonic cleaner may be used to care for your dentures, but it does not replace a thorough daily brushing.
- Dentures may break if dropped down. Handle your dentures with utmost care by stand over a folded towel or basin of water.
- Let the dentures not dry out. Not being in your mouth, dentures are to be stored in a container with water. Dry dentures tend to shrink and hence the shape of the dentures change. Finally this lands up in an ill fitting dentures.
- Dentures are not to be in contact with hot water. High tempered water cause them to warp.
THE FUTURE
- Your jawbones and gum shrink up to 1/32 of an inch per year when your teeth are missing. This is one of the main disadvantages of dentures. Because of this shrinkage, you should plan to have your dentures and oral tissues evaluated by us once per year.
