How to Care for Dentures

At Lehigh Valley Smiles, we’ve done full-mouth restorations on many patients over the years and have helped them to maintain their new teeth. Since dentures are not living tissue, they cannot withstand the same kinds of wear and pressure as normal teeth. To keep dentures working and looking great, patients need to know how to keep them clean.

Even implant-supported dentures are often removable and need to be taken out on a nightly basis. But dentures, unlike retainers, need to be kept moist. Though hot water will warp them, room-temperature water is fine. Cleaning solutions made specifically for dentures are also available. Regardless of what kind of liquid dentures are kept in, dentures should only be cleaned with toothpaste designed for them. Ordinary toothpaste scratches at teeth, which is fine for natural teeth which produce their own film, but not for artificial ones. Dentures should only be brushed with a toothbrush which has soft bristles, which is also true of natural teeth.

Patients should also continue to brush their gums, tongue, and implant abutments (if present) as normal. The denture’s underside also needs to be brushed and monitored for breakage or distortion. Any damage to a denture should be repaired immediately by a professional.

Alan Dilsaver, DDS, FAGD, operates Lehigh Valley Smiles at 2601 Nazareth Road, Easton, Pennsylvania, 18045. To schedule an appointment, call 610-252-7414 or visit LehighValleySmiles.net and fill out a contact sheet.