Dentures may feel a bit strange to begin with, but you’ll soon get used to wearing them.
Remove your dentures at night to allow your gums to rest as you sleep and avoid risk of choking.
When you remove your dentures, they should be kept moist – for example, in water or a polythene bag with some dampened cotton wool in it, or in a suitable overnight denture-cleaning solution.
This will stop the denture material drying out and changing shape.
Dental hygiene
Keeping your mouth clean is just as important when you wear dentures.
You should brush your remaining teeth, gums and tongue every morning and evening with fluoride toothpaste to prevent tooth decay, gum disease and other dental problems and clean teeth and dentures after meals.
Cleaning dentures
It’s important to regularly remove plaque and food deposits from your dentures.
This is because unclean dentures can also lead to problems, such as bad breath, gum disease, tooth decay and oral thrush.
Clean your dentures as often as you would normal teeth (at least twice a day: every morning and night).
You should:
• brush your dentures with denture paste or soap and water before soaking them to remove food particles
• soak them in a fizzy solution of denture-cleaning tablets to remove stains and bacteria (follow the manufacturer’s instructions)
• brush them again as you would your normal teeth (but don’t scrub them too hard)
Dentures may break if you drop them, so you should clean them over a bowl or sink filled with water, or something soft like a folded towel.
Eating with dentures
When you first start wearing dentures, you should eat soft foods cut into small pieces and chew slowly, using both sides of your mouth.
Avoid chewing gum and any food that’s sticky, hard or has sharp edges.
You can gradually start to eat other types of food until you’re back to your old diet. Never use toothpicks.
Denture adhesive
If your dentures fit properly, you shouldn’t necessarily need to use denture fixative (adhesive).
But if your jawbone has shrunk significantly, adhesive may be the only way to help retain your dentures.
Your dentist or clinical dental technician will advise you if this is the case.
If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact your dentist.
