Cleaning Your Dentures

Keeping your dentures clean is very important. Just like natural teeth, dentures can build up plaque and tartar that can irritate your gums, stain the denture teeth, and harbor bacteria and fungus.

Give your gums a break! Never sleep with your dentures in place, unless directed to do so by your dentist. Place them in a bath of water every night. Denture soaking solutions, i.e. Efferdent, may be used one or more times per week.

Brush your denture with a denture toothbrush and water. Brushing should be performed at least once a day to avoid the build-up of plaque. Do not brush with toothpaste as the paste may scratch the denture.

If you have a partial denture, over-denture with natural tooth attachments, or a denture supported by implants, make sure to brush and floss all remaining teeth or implants at
least 2x per day. The teeth involved with tooth-supported partial or over-denture are still susceptible to decay if not taken care of properly. Although implants cannot decay, periodontal disease may still develop without proper home care.

Eating

Dentures are very different from your natural teeth; unlike your teeth dentures are not anchored in bone but instead rest on top of the tissues. This means that the denture, especially the lower denture, can and will move in your mouth when you eat and when you speak. Dentures only have 1/6th of chewing strength as compared to your natural teeth. It will take some time to get used to eating with your dentures, so to help, do the following:

  • Start with soft, easy to chew foods such as fish, cheese, eggs, chopped meat, cooked vegetables, or casseroles.
  • Take small bites. Chew on both sides of your mouth at the same time; this helps stabilize the denture.
  • Biting into food is difficult with dentures, take time to get used to, and may dislodge the upper denture. Therefore, foods like apples and corn on the cob may need to be sliced before eating.

Speaking

It is common for patients to have some difficulty speaking with new dentures. A common pronunciation problem is with words containing “s” and “f” sounds. It is helpful to practice by reading aloud or speaking in front of a mirror.