Modern dentures are incredibly realistic and durable, so much so that it can be easy to forget that they aren’t actually your real teeth. However, if you want your prosthetic to stick around for as long as possible, you’ll need to take care of them as well as you possibly can.
Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be all that difficult. Keep these few tips in mind, and you should be able to take care of your prosthetic for a long time to come.
1. Be Gentle with Your Prosthetic
First of all, it’s important to remember that dentures aren’t invincible. As strong as modern acrylics are, you could still do undue damage to your prosthetic if you aren’t careful.
You’re going to take your prosthetic on and off for cleaning often, so be sure to do so gently.
2. Watch What Cleaning Solutions You Use
While keeping your prosthetic clean is important, there are right and wrong ways to go about that. Certain cleaning solutions you may be used to using on your teeth, like toothpaste, could wear down or scratch your prosthetic.
When caring for your dentures, use only substances specifically designed for them.
3. Soak Your Dentures Overnight
Over the course of the day, your dentures are likely to put a fair amount of pressure on your gums, cutting off their circulation. They also tend to collect bacteria, especially underneath the prosthetic.
For both of these reasons, it’s usually a good idea to take your dentures out and soak them in a disinfectant solution each night. This gives your gums an opportunity to breathe and cleanses them of any germs that have built up over the course of the day.
4. Rinse and Brush Your Dentures
After meals, it’s important to rinse your dentures to prevent the buildup of plaque. You may also want to brush your dentures as you do this, though as was mentioned previously, you should do so without toothpaste.
5. Clean Dentures with Cool Water
Acrylic can be sensitive to changes in temperature. If you clean your prosthetic with hot water, this can cause them to warp— you should therefore stick to cool water when rinsing or brushing your dentures.
About Our Practice
Welcome to the dental practice of Mauck & Ricci, DDS! Here, we don’t stop at providing our patients with excellent dental care; we aim to do so in an environment that puts patients completely at ease for the duration of their stay with us. Whether you’re seeing us for a simple checkup or to get a brand-new prosthetic, you can be sure that you’ll be as comfortable as possible.
If you have any questions about dentures, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (303) 745-1400.