You’ve lost some teeth and you’ve reached the conclusion that you need dentures. Dental implants may be outside your price range, but you think that you can handle the dentures. It’s a great idea and you will find that you can smile and talk much better than when you lost your teeth. This is a very positive step forward that you are taking.
Not all dentures are created equal, though, and you need to know some things about their construction as well as some of the proper ways to take care of them. Not heeding this can lead to both extensive and expensive repairs being needed. Having this knowledge ahead of time can make the experience a much more positive one for both your mouth and your bank account.
Read on to learn five things that you should know about dentures:
Acrylic Dentures Are Not Totally Solid
At first glance, your acrylic dentures look like they have a lot of heft and are solid. That’s not the case. Examine them more closely. They have a lot of small pores in them. Those are perfect areas for bacteria to take root. Were you to ignore the situation, they could flourish quite quickly. You need to thoroughly brush your dentures with a specially formulated toothpaste. Do it for as long as you’d normally brush your teeth. That will ensure that they get clean each time.
They Need To Be Soaked Overnight
Do not treat your dentures like you would a retainer. That is, don’t just dump it into a carrying case and rinse it off right before using. No, the dentures need to be out of your mouth throughout the night… in a glass containing a special denture soaker. That will keep it both moist and sterile. You still need to rinse it off in the morning before putting it in your mouth, but the soaking solution will get rid of nearly all of the bacteria.
A Bad Combination: Dry Mouth And Contaminated Dentures
People get dry mouth for a lot more reasons than just mere nerves. This is a condition known as xerostomia that tends to affect the elderly population more than any other age group. It may be a side effect of certain medications. Many older people take several different types of medication so this is something to watch out for. A dry mouth can be disastrous since the saliva washes away bacteria. The dentures can collect a lot more bacteria. A good way to fix it is to get a daily oral moisturizer to mimic saliva.>
Older People Get More Bacteria in Their Mouths
It’s not just the medication that they are taking that plays a part in the build-up of bacteria in their mouths. Their immune system weakens as they age, and that acts like an invitation to the bacteria to grow. They just need to spend more time taking care of their teeth and gums than when they were younger. That means a little longer with brushing and flossing of any remaining teeth.
Routine Check-ups Are Necessary
It’s easy to get too used to something. There are some people who wear t-shirts that they bought over 30 years ago… and have managed to hide the shirts from their significant others so they don’t get thrown out. Some people wear their dentures for far past the 10 years that they should. It’s a common misconception that once the dentures have been through the final fitting, there’s no need to go back again.
That is not the case. Things change with the structure of one’s jaw. Teeth may shift. The gums may shrink, which then make the dentures ill-fitting. That in turn can wind up cutting into the gums and possibly cause an infection. People with dentures cannot stop going to the dentist just because they may not have any regular teeth left. The dentist has to check on the status of the dentures to ensure that they don’t need refitting or re-lining. Otherwise you risk needing repairs.
Taking care of your dentures does not have to be a very hard thing. Just pay attention to the basic things listed above and you can have a very positive experience.
The staff at Hagerstown Dentist in Frederick, MD will make sure that you have the best-fitting dentures and will tell you how to maintain them so that they work for you for a long, long time. Call them at 301-662-1760 to make an appointment.
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Hagerstown Dentist
Hagerstown Location
1303 Pennsylvania Ave.
Hagerstown, MD 21740
Phone: (301) 200-9585
