If you’ve had dentures for a while, you’ll know that keeping a good hygiene routine is essential to taking care of them and your overall oral health. Dentures like natural teeth should be cleaned twice a day, morning and night – but there are a few steps to optimize their cleaning that we’ll get into in a moment.
Whether you’re a long-time denture user or are new to them, it’s important that you store, clean, and maintain your dentures properly. At Beaches Dental, we’re here to help.
We want your smile to be the best and brightest it can be. We also want your dentures to last as long as they can – and with a possible lifetime of five to ten years, the right care gives your dentures the best chance to last as long as possible.
So, how often should dentures be cleaned? And what’s the best method for cleaning them?
Read on for the do’s, don’ts and how-tos of denture cleaning and maintenance.
Why Denture Cleaning is Important
You know cleaning your teeth is important and so is cleaning your dentures. So, when considering how often to clean your dentures, remember how often you have always cleaned your natural pearly whites!
If you don’t clean your dentures regularly they could become discoloured, trap food, and pick up odor..
Worse, they could also contribute to the development of gum disease and tooth decay. If food or plaque build up on your denture it can sit against the teeth or gums and lead to increased risk of tooth decay or gum disease. Gum or periodontal disease is one of the conditions we treat most commonly at Beaches Dental, including in patients who have dentures. Periodontal disease has been linked to other more serious conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Of course, we’re constantly carrying out preventive dentistry to help patients treat and minimise the effects of dental decay and periodontal disease as early treatment can have a huge benefit.
Along with regular preventative appointments, cleaning your teeth and dentures is the best thing you can do to maintain a healthy smile and mouth. So, let’s get into the details of how to clean your dentures.
How Should I Clean My Dentures?
How to clean dentures and how often to clean your dentures is a common question and can be a multi-step process. There are a few ways dentures need to be cleaned.
Here’s what you need to know about cleaning your dentures:
Brushing Dentures
Most obviously, dentures need to be brushed morning and evening. Use a soft brush, and avoid using toothpaste as it can scratch them.
Rinsing Dentures After Eating
Dentures should be rinsed in running water after eating to remove food particles. Be gentle with your dentures so as not to damage or drop them, and put the plug in the sink to avoid losing them, especially if they are smaller or partial dentures. You will also want to rinse your mouth out at this point, helping to remove food particles from around your teeth and gums.
Soaking Dentures at Night
We’ve all seen an image of dentures in a glass of water on the nightstand! Well, it’s actually something repeated in bedrooms around the world every evening.
After carefully removing any dental adhesive from your dentures with warm water and a soft brush, pop them into a denture cleaning solution in cool water. Some cleaning solutions can have the dentures left in them overnight, while other denture cleaner solutions only require the dentures to be in them for several minutes and then removed and kept in just water overnight.You can leave them in this solution overnight without damaging them. Remember to rinse your dentures thoroughly in the morning to avoid irritation from the soaking liquid.
For more information on the right solutions for you and your mouth, from dentures to implants, get in touch with us at Beaches Dental, Mona Vale.
How Often Should I Clean My Dentures?
All this information might seem overwhelming, but don’t worry!. So, how often should you clean your dentures? Here are the rules, broken down:
- Wash your dentures off after eating, especially if you feel any food is caught.
- Brush your dentures morning and evening just like you’d brush your teeth
- Soak your dentures in denture cleaner rinsing them before inserting them back in your mouth (if you miss the odd night, that’s fine, as long as you don’t sleep in your dentures)
So, brush twice a day, rinse as needed, soak at bedtime.
Easy peasy!
If you ever need help with denture cleaning advice,, dentures that don’t fit properly or anything else oral-health related then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at Beaches Dental, Mona Vale. And if you’re interested in exploring dentures or implants, you can start by taking a look at our website. We look forward to seeing your smile when you visit us!
