Whether you’re getting partial or full dentures, proper cleaning is essential for your oral health, your personal comfort, and your dentures’ functionality. Wondering how to clean dentures? We’ll walk you through the most critical steps of proper denture care and maintenance.
How to Clean Dentures: Tips and Recommendations
Preventative Care
Avoid Sticky, Chewy, or Hard Foods
One of the most important ways to protect your dentures is to avoid using them to chew extremely hard, sticky, or chewy food. Exercise caution with foods that may fall under those categories, including all the following:
- Ice
- Hard candies
- Caramel, taffy, and other sticky candies
- Nuts, popcorn, and seeds
- Carrots, corn on the cob, apples, and other raw fruits and vegetables
- Tough or chewy meats (like steak)
Clean As You Go
You might notice that small pieces of food will occasionally work their way under your dentures as you eat. Whenever this happens, simply remove your denture and rinse with water.
Ongoing Cleaning and Maintenance
Brushing and Flossing
Some people mistakenly assume that if you have dentures, you no longer need to brush or floss. But in fact, it’s essential that you maintain a daily oral hygiene routine. Brush your tongue, gums, palate, and any remaining teeth twice daily to prevent plaque and bacteria buildup. Twice daily brushing also helps keep your breath smelling fresh. Floss any remaining teeth at least once daily as well. Your dentist may also recommend mouth rinses and other cleaning aids.
Cleaning Your Dentures
Just like your natural teeth, dentures need to be cleaned regularly: at least once per day. Daily denture cleaning helps prevent the buildup of food particles, stops stains on your dentures from becoming permanent, and can extend the lifespan of your dentures. However, the question of how to clean dentures isn’t merely a cosmetic one: keeping your dentures clean is also critical for your overall health. Cleaning your dentures removes potentially harmful bacteria and fungi from the oral cavity and is one of the most important steps you can take to minimize your risk of denture stomatitis.
Always remember to clean your dentures over a sink or bowl full of water: this will help protect them from breaking if they’re accidentally dropped. Once you’ve filled your sink with water, rinse off any loose food particles or denture adhesive. After rinsing, you should use a denture cleaning product and a brush to clean your dentures. Commercial denture cleansers for removable dentures come in different forms, including tablets, creams, pastes, gels, and solutions. Your dentist may recommend a specific cleanser or brush, and it’s important to follow their recommendations as well as the manufacturer’s instructions.
After brushing your dentures with an effective, non-abrasive denture cleaning product, rinse them thoroughly before reinserting them. Remember that denture cleansers should not be applied to dentures while they are inside the mouth.
Periodic Cleaning
Along with following the daily cleaning regimen described above, you should also soak your dentures periodically in a commercial soaking solution. If your dentures do not have any metal parts, you can soak them in a solution of half white vinegar and half water. Always rinse your dentures thoroughly in cool water after soaking.
Sleeping and Storage
You should remove your dentures at night while you sleep (for at least six to eight hours per day). Whenever you aren’t wearing your dentures, it’s best to keep them stored in water or a soaking solution to prevent them from drying out.
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Do you have more questions about how to clean dentures? Are you interested in getting dentures? If you’re looking for an experienced, reliable, and friendly dentist in or near Springfield, Missouri, contact Wilkinson Dental. Our team will give you the personalized treatment you deserve using state-of-the-art technology. Schedule your first appointment today by calling 417-708-0556 or requesting an appointment online. We look forward to hearing from you!