It is as important for people with dentures to maintain oral hygiene, as much as it is for people with natural teeth. The methods and the cleaning equipment vary, but that is about it. Here is a list of to-do for all the denture wearers for a healthy, disease-free mouth.
Give your gums some rest: Always remove dentures while sleeping. These denture free hours give them the time to heal. Never wear your dentures for a full 24 hours, even if you feel super comfy in them.
Clean your mouth twice a day: Once before wearing the dentures, and the other time after removing them at night. Take a soft-bristled toothbrush and brush your gums, tongue, cheeks and the roof of the mouth. Also, take a glass of lukewarm saltwater and gargle once every day. This gets rid of the food particles and clears away the plaque layer formed, which will prevent the occurrence of any infections.
Massage your tissues: After denture removal, take a soft cloth or just use your fingers to massage the gum pads for 3-5 minutes. This stimulates blood circulation to the otherwise unexposed areas beneath the denture.
Have a balanced diet: Diet plays a very important role in keeping your oral tissues in good shape, so make sure you have a nutritious diet. Often when the new dentures arrive they are a little uncomfortable and it affects the food intake. In that case, you can switch to the mashed or powdered version of everything required(until you get comfortable with the dentures obviously), and it should do the job.
Quit smoking: As if there aren’t enough reasons, here we have one more to add. Smoking increases yeast formation and makes the gums beneath the denture more susceptible to infections and may lead to cancer in the longer run.
