Denture Maintenance
If the denture is rubbing on the gums, and causing pain and even ulceration, this will not go away and needs to be adjusted. In this case, it is best to leave the denture out of your mouth, and put it back in just before you attend for an adjustment.
Denture hygiene is very important. Dentures accumulate a film of various substances on the surface, and even though they don't decay like teeth, it is important that they are kept clean. The simplest way to clean them is in mild soapy water, and to scrub them with a spare tooth brush. It may be beneficial to use a denture cleaner about once a week. The denture should be thoroughly rinsed in water afterwards, and this should keep it as clean as the day it was put in.
You should also leave your dentures out at night, in order to give your mouth a "rest". Much like a watch band can leave a mark on your wrist after a period of time, a denture does the same thing to the soft tissues in your mouth. Leaving your denture out at night allows your gums to "recover" back to their normal shape.
If you never remove your denture, it is possible that you can develop ulcers, and coupled with poor cleaning, you can also get thrush underneath it.
The denture should be routinely inspected for any of these, and other problems. After a few years, due to the changing shape of the underlying soft tissues, mainly due to shrinkage, the denture won't fit as well as it used to. At some point a decision will need to be made about either relining or replacing it.
If the denture is rubbing on the gums, and causing pain and even ulceration, this will not go away and needs to be adjusted. In this case, it is best to leave the denture out of your mouth, and put it back in just before you attend for an adjustment.
Denture hygiene is very important. Dentures accumulate a film of various substances on the surface, and even though they don't decay like teeth, it is important that they are kept clean. The simplest way to clean them is in mild soapy water, and to scrub them with a spare tooth brush. It may be beneficial to use a denture cleaner about once a week. The denture should be thoroughly rinsed in water afterwards, and this should keep it as clean as the day it was put in.
You should also leave your dentures out at night, in order to give your mouth a "rest". Much like a watch band can leave a mark on your wrist after a period of time, a denture does the same thing to the soft tissues in your mouth. Leaving your denture out at night allows your gums to "recover" back to their normal shape.
If you never remove your denture, it is possible that you can develop ulcers, and coupled with poor cleaning, you can also get thrush underneath it.
The denture should be routinely inspected for any of these, and other problems. After a few years, due to the changing shape of the underlying soft tissues, mainly due to shrinkage, the denture won't fit as well as it used to. At some point a decision will need to be made about either relining or replacing it.
Post Treatment Advice
CB Dental
www.cbdental.com.au E-Mail: reception@cbdental.com.au Tel: 02 6282 7633 Fax: 02 6282 7644