The Do’s and Don’ts of Dentures

April 1, 2021

Has a dentist ever warned you, “If you ignore your teeth, they’ll go away”? Losing teeth is never easy, but fortunately there is a common and efficient option: Dentures. 

Teeth provide three different benefits. They help us bite and chew food. They help us in our speech by contributing to articulation and producing various sounds. And, of course, they give us a friendly and attractive look and are a big part of our smiles.

Wear and tear, damage and cavities, certain disease conditions, and trauma may affect the teeth and cause or lead to losing them. Dentures have proven to be an effective solution. Dentures successfully perform all the functions of the original teeth; they help us bite and chew food, they augment our speech, and provide us with continued attractive smiles.

With average wear and tear, a denture should last approximately 5 years. However, sometimes after a while, dentures that once fit perfectly may not. An ill-fitting denture can cause severe discomfort, pain in chewing, gum sores, or even worsening oral sores due to pressure, and can also cause damage to the denture and reduce its life. Some reasons why dentures can become damaged include:

• Inadequate cleaning and improper care.
• Sleeping with your dentures still on
• Clenching and grinding your jaw
• Weight gain or loss, which can also affect the gum shape 

Your dentist can potentially adjust the denture to make it comfortable and restore the proper and comfortable fit. The denture itself may need repair if any of the artificial teeth break, or there are cracks in the teeth or gum portion.

To help ensure your dentures last, here are some simple Do’s and Don’ts:

• Do handle your dentures with care and avoid dropping them
• Don’t sleep with the dentures on
• Do brush them regularly like normal teeth, but with a soft brush and denture cleaning solutions
• Don’t brush with normal toothpaste, which can damage your artificial teeth

• Do keep them moist when not wearing by placing them in a glass of water or a soaking solution
• Don’t use do-it-yourself kits and try to fix your dentures on your own, which may irreversibly damage the dentures.

Whether you need dentures or still have your own natural teeth, working with your dentist is the best way to keep your mouth healthy. MRTA and AMBA have excellent dental plans that can cover and provide significant savings on everything from routine checkups to even significant savings on implants.  Learn more.

Source: https://www.ada.org/en/member-center/oral-health-topics/dentures

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