If you've lost your teeth due to an accident, disease, or poor oral health, dentures can be a good replacement for your missing teeth. Dentures can help to restore the function of your smile and your confidence, but it's important to take proper care of them, here's how...
If you have full or partial dentures it's important to care for them as carefully as you would care for your own teeth. Here is how to care for your dentures to keep them looking great and fitting well.
Clean Your Dentures Daily
Clean your dentures daily much the same way as you would clean your natural teeth. Brush your dentures thoroughly with a soft-bristle denture brush and water. Do not use toothpaste. Commercial toothpastes could damage your dentures. Be sure to brush all sections of your dentures but be careful not to bend any attachments.
It's a good idea to rinse your dentures with water after every meal.
Remove your dentures at night and soak them in denture cleaner or a mixture of warm water and vinegar. If your dentures have metal attachments soak them in warm water only.
Soaking will help to loosen the plaque and tartar from your dentures, making them easier to clean.
It's important to remember that soaking your dentures is not a substitute for brushing! To keep your dentures in tip top condition you need to both soak dentures each night and brush your dentures every day to remove plaque.
Treat Your Dentures Carefully
To help protect your dentures, place a folded towel in the sink, (or on the bathroom vanity), while you are handling your dentures. This can provide a soft cushion and help to protect your dentures from being damaged if you were to accidentally drop them.
Whenever you aren't wearing your dentures, soak them in water or denture solution to prevent them from drying out.
If your dentures have metal attachments do not use denture solutions. Denture solutions could cause metal to tarnish.
Do not clean or soak dentures in hot water! They could warp.