They Don’t Brush Them Properly
Just like regular teeth, dentures need to be brushed daily. Otherwise, food particles can get stuck in there and even soaking them won’t do the job. One may be tired and just want to go to bed, but just doing a few half-hearted swipes on the dentures, running them under water and then soaking them is nowhere near enough. They should be carefully brushed – though not too hard, since that can also damage them. Being diligent and conscientious should get it done.
They Don’t Soak Them Overnight
This is another big mistake that denture wearers cannot afford to make. Every morning, they need to put in dentures that are clean and sterile. That means they need to have been soaked in a special solution to kill all bacteria. It also means they need to be moist so that the material won’t harden overnight and possibly break. Hastily putting them in running water in the morning won’t be anywhere near as effective as the soaking part. To do otherwise also risks infection, since dirty dentures can bring a lot of bad germs into one’s mouth. This is one step that cannot be missed often… or at all.
They Don’t Handle Them Properly
For all their seeming solidity when sitting in someone’s mouth, dentures are remarkably fragile. Patients tend to forget that when doing everything from roughly removing them to holding them to where they leave them when doing other things. The best thing to do is to treat them like glass when holding them and always put them in a safe spot when soaking them. Otherwise, either a trip to the store for a quick-fix kit to temporarily put things back in place before going to the dentist or a dentist visit will be in order. Fortunately, many places have dental labs, so there won’t be much waiting time while the dentures are relined or recreated.
They Don’t Get Them Refit
People can be stubborn. They try to tough out certain situations – from a bad back to an ill-fitting denture. Their mindset may be that things will miraculously change. Not so with the dentures. If it’s not fitting properly, it’s going to rub up against the surrounding gum area and cause irritation, possible cuts and subsequent infections. This is not a scenario for someone to attempt to just soldier through – yes, sometimes finances may be tight, but they still need to go back to the dentist and get the denture fixed. Dentists don’t want to see their patients suffer needlessly – they may even work out a payment solution.
We at Hagerstown Dentist Hagerstown are well-versed in denture care. We’ll help any patient make sure they are doing everything correctly.
