Your dentist can provide dentures to restore your smile whether you’ve lost several teeth sporadically or need to rebuild an entire arch. These prosthetics help you thoroughly chew food to be easily digested, enunciate words more clearly, and grin confidently without worrying about your appearance.
However, you must care for them correctly to continue enjoying their many benefits. If you’re asking yourself how long dentures usually last, continue reading to learn 3 ways you can keep your in excellent condition for years to come!
Tip #1: Rinse Them After Meals
Many people suffering from tooth loss develop gastrointestinal issues from swallowing large bits that weren’t mashed enough to be efficiently swallowed and digested. Some even become malnourished by sticking with softer foods that don’t contain enough nutrients to support their general health.
With dentures in place, you can enjoy a wider variety of wholesome ingredients to boost your well-being, but you’ll need to wash them off afterward. Bits of food can cling to their surfaces and attract bacteria that form a layer of sticky plaque, contributing to oral issues like bad breath and gum disease. To keep them fresh, remove them and rinse them under cool or room-temperature water to eliminate unwanted germs and debris.
Tip #2: Clean Them Consistently
Your dentures aren’t made of the same organic materials as your enamel, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to brush them. Although they look completely solid to the naked eye, the truth is they’re covered in microscopic pores that make ideal hiding places for toxic bacteria.
To keep them looking, feeling, and smelling fresh, you should remove them twice daily to brush all surfaces thoroughly. Standard toothpaste can abrade the materials, so you should use a soft-bristled toothbrush and unscented dish soap or a special denture cleanser to avoid harming anything. Then, rinse them thoroughly before reinserting them to go about your day or leaving them to soak overnight.
Tip #3: Avoid Sleeping in Them
If you’re frustrated by removing and replacing your dentures several times a day, you’re not alone! Plenty of patients wonder whether it would be simpler to leave them in 24/7 and sleep with them in their mouths, instead. While this may be acceptable occasionally, it’s not usually recommended.
Your prosthetics rely on a tight suction against the connective tissues over the bony ridges of your mouth to remain put. This added pressure on your gums can reduce circulation or cause sores to develop. If your body cannot deliver oxygen and nutrients through sufficient blood flow to your mouth, then you’re more likely to develop gum disease or other concerns. Leaving your new teeth in a glass of water or cleaning solution is a great way to eradicate bacteria while giving your gums a much-needed break.
By making these few slight adjustments, you can keep your recently restored smile in tip-top shape for 10+ years!
Meet the Author
Dr. Evan Pedersen has 12+ years of experience helping people build and maintain beautiful, healthy smiles. He earned his dental degree from the prestigious Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston, and now proudly offers a full array of services under one roof. He enjoys combining art with science to provide customized treatments to meet your unique needs, including dentures. Then, he utilizes state-of-the-art equipment to improve patient comfort while delivering accurate results. If you need to replace missing teeth, you can request an appointment on the website or call (512) 777-0866.