Maintaining your Dentures

Looking after your denture carefully, and cleaning them meticulously, will prolong their life, and ensure the continued health of your mouth and any remaining teeth or implants.

If you have not previously worn dentures, you may find that they feel awkward at first. The tongue and muscles of the cheeks and lips need time to adapt; the denture will inevitably be larger than the teeth it replaces. You might find that your speech sounds different, however this will usually only persist for a few days, until your mouth has become used to the new shapes.

There will probably be sore areas beneath a new denture, which will be in need of several adjustments before it becomes comfortable. If the denture is temporary, pending provision of implant bridgework, we will try to provide the implants as quickly as possible to avoid this discomfort. Do not attempt adventurous food such as steaks, crusty French bread, etc, until you feel that you have mastered the dentures with soft foods. Try to chew on both sides of your mouth at once, as this will improve stability. Be particularly careful to avoid challenging foods if your denture is sitting on top of recently placed implants

If you still have teeth present, mouth hygiene is even more important, so as to keep your teeth clean, as the prosthesis will encourage plaque accumulation. Otherwise the denture will promote disease - causing plaque and debris to accumulate and accelerate decay and gum disease. In the morning clean the denture thoroughly with a denture brush, using either soap or a denture paste that we have recommended. If you like a minty taste in your mouth in the morning use normal toothpaste on your denture, but try to limit this to once per day, as toothpastes are abrasive and may wear away the special stains that have been used on the denture to make it look natural.

When possible, clean your dentures after every meal. If you cannot get to your denture brush, then at least rinse the denture under fast running water to remove large deposits of food.

Before going to bed thoroughly brush the denture, and inspect it carefully under a good light to check that all debris and plaque has been removed. If you find that there is an occasional build up of tartar, an acid cleaner, such as Denclen, may be useful. However it should not be necessary to use this more than once a week, and this cleaner should not be used on dentures that have metal components. Overnight leave the dentures soaking in clean water. It is not necessary to use a cleansing tablet such as Steradent. Research has shown that cleansers that contain bleach can make the denture look unnaturally light. When using a denture brush be especially careful of the delicate clasps that can be distorted or broken if the denture is handled roughly. When cleaning the denture, always hold it above a sink full of water or a towel, in case it is dropped.

Regular check-ups are very important, even if you have complete dentures. We will want to ensure that your mouth and any remaining teeth are healthy, and check that the fit of your denture is still correct. It is common to find that after some time the shape of the jaws will change, which may make your denture unstable. If this happens you will benefit from having the denture relined.