If you have just been fitted with new dentures, you’re likely to have some questions. Although your dentist will have offered tips during the denture fitting to help you use them comfortably and look after them properly, we recommend you spend a little time gathering reliable information so you can get the best wear out of your dentures.
The advice here is also a useful refresher for patients with previous experience of dentures, and will help family or friends who care for denture users.
The advice below has been prepared by dentist Lucy Smith.
Lucy Smith is Clinical Director for SpaDental, and dentist at SpaDental Chard.
What her patients say:
“The best dental experience I have ever had!”
“Lucy and the team are fantastic.”
“The treatment I received was brilliant.”
Getting used to your new dentures:
It will take time to adapt to the feel of your new dentures. It is normal for them to feel ‘strange’ and a bit uncomfortable, especially if these are your first dentures.
During this time, you may find you produce more saliva.
Your speech is likely to be impacted by your new denture to start with. As practice makes perfect, regularly count out loud from 60 to 70 to help your speech return to normal. Usually, it takes about a week.
Begin to get used to eating with soft foods, and gradually re-adjust to a harder diet. Try to ensure that you use both sides of the mouth and keep food towards the back of the mouth, rather than biting on front teeth. You might find it easier to cut food into smaller pieces.
If you notice sore spots developing after the first few days of wearing your dentures, see your dentist about adjustments to these areas. If you can’t get an immediate appointment, you may wish to leave your denture out. However, be sure to wear your denture the day before your appointment.
Cleaning your dentures:
Please pay careful attention to the information your dentist gives you. Advice varies according to the material your denture is made from. If you’re not sure about how to care for your appliance, get in touch with your dental practice for more information.
At night, you must remove your dentures to keep the rest of the mouth healthy.
Cleaning your dentures regularly is important to prevent the build-up of stains, debris and tartar.
Remove your dentures after eating to rinse or brush off any food debris.
Clean dentures twice daily. Over a towel or basin of water, to prevent breakage if the denture if dropped, use a toothbrush or denture brush with soap to clean your dentures. Use warm water only, not hot.
When not worn, store your dentures in cold water to prevent them from drying out. Do not leave overnight in soaking solution. If your denture is all acrylic (pink plastic, with no metal), you can occasionally use a denture cleaning tablet or solution to soak your denture to remove stubborn stains. Soaking for 10 minutes once a week should be sufficient.
Using adhesive:
You may benefit from the use of adhesive to keep your dentures well retained and comfortable.
Denture adhesives come in a number of formats including gels and powders. You should experiment and use whichever works well for you.
Clean and dry your dentures before applying denture adhesive as per the guidelines for each individual product.
On removal, ensure you clean all adhesive from your denture and your mouth during the cleaning process.
Caring for the rest of your mouth:
It is important that you continue to see your dentist regularly (even if you have full dentures) so that the health of the rest of your mouth, and the fit of your dentures, can be checked.
Brush and clean any remaining teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, and also gently clean gums, tongue and palate with a soft brush.
When you have partial dentures, it is particularly important to follow a rigorous oral health routine to care for the rest of your natural teeth and gums.
We hope the advice above is useful to you.
As time passes, if you start to experience discomfort from your dentures, such as rubbing, wobbling, clicking or movement, make an appointment to have the fit checked. Very often a dentist can make adjustments to improve fit.
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