3 Common Mistakes People with Dentures Make

Dentures can be an absolute game-changer for people who are missing many of their teeth. Within just a few dental appointments, you can go from a gummy smile to the pearly whites of your dreams!

However, the amount of time you can depend on that prosthetic to stick around depends a lot on how well you maintain it. If you want to know how to do that effectively, here are a few major mistakes you’ll want to avoid when caring for your dentures.

1. Leaving Your Dentures In Overnight

If you have a set of really well-made dentures, it can sometimes be easy to forget that they’re even there. You may be tempted to just leave them in when you go to bed, or you could just honestly not notice you’re still wearing them.

However, leaving your dentures in overnight means that your gums won’t have any break from wearing your prosthetic. In this case, you’re likely to deal with denture sores. Not only that, but having your dentures stay in means you won’t get to clean them overnight, leading to excessive bacterial buildup.

For these reasons, it’s strongly recommended that you take your dentures out to soak each night.

2. Cleaning them Improperly

While it’s important to make sure your dentures are clean, it’s equally crucial that you not accidentally damage them when trying to remove plaque buildup. For one, excessively hot water can cause dentures to warp, so it’s important to scrub your prosthetic with lukewarm water.

You should also restrict the cleaners you use to those designed for dentures. Bleach and other household cleaners are too intense for your prosthetic and can wear it down if you aren’t careful.

3. Losing Your Dentures

Obviously, if you’ve lost your dentures they aren’t doing you any good. That means that you should try and leave your dentures in your mouth as much as possible when out and about.

However, there are some circumstances where you may want to take out your dentures, like if you’re engaging in dangerous activity. For situations like these, you may want to get a carrying case specifically for your prosthetic that you keep in the same place all the time. That way, you’ll always have a good idea of where it is.

About the Author

Dr. Travis Markle began private practice in 2006, and to this day his favorite part of his work is being able to get to know his patients on a personal level as he helps them improve their oral health. Dr. Markle received his dental degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Since graduating he has completed hundreds of hours of continuing education through SPEAR, the Dawson Academy, and other prestigious organizations.

If you have any questions about dentures, he can be reached at his website or by phone at (903) 597-7902.