For those who’ve turned to dentures after losing multiple teeth, maintaining the benefits of these long-term solutions involves more than periodic cleaning. Proper care is crucial to ensure your dentures’ longevity and long-term functionality.
We’re here to provide you with some tips for keeping your dentures in excellent shape so that your relationships with your rejuvenated, radiant smile and robust bite stand the test of time!
What Are Dentures?
Dentures are custom-made dental prosthetics that replace teeth and their surrounding tissue following tooth loss. Dentures are popular among patients who, through some combination of disease, decay, trauma, or age, have lost some or all of their teeth.
Dentures are typically crafted out of natural-looking porcelain or acrylic resin for a natural look and tailored to comfortably fit a specific patient's mouth. Dentures have traditionally come in two forms:
Complete. An excellent choice for when all of the teeth from the upper or lower “arch” of the mouth are missing. Mouthpiece-like complete dentures are made to fit snugly over the gums and jawbone.
Partial. In cases where some but not all teeth are missing, a partial denture attaches to adjacent teeth via fasteners and fills in gaps can be an excellent option.
How To Clean and Care for Dentures
Proper care of dentures is essential to ensuring your oral health and maintaining their longevity. Here are some tips and best practices for proper denture care:
- Brush your dentures daily using a soft-bristled toothbrush and denture cleaner. Avoid regular toothpaste, as it will damage the denture material.
- After meals, remove and rinse your dentures with lukewarm water to remove debris and prevent staining.
- Soak dentures overnight in a cleaning solution to remove stains and eliminate odors and bacteria.
- When handling dentures, be gentle to avoid bending or damaging them. Also, avoid handling them over hard surfaces, where a drop could result in damage.
- Visit your dentist regularly to monitor results and to ensure that any issues that arise are addressed promptly.
Full and Partial Dentures in Springfield, IL
If you’re in the Springfield area and want to know more about dentures and how to properly care for them, rather than Googling "dentures near me" and taking your chances, contact dentist Dr. Shane Ruggless and the highly skilled and helpful team at Ruggless Dental to schedule a consultation!