Denture Care
General Instructions
Any time a new denture (either a partial denture or complete denture) is delivered, the gum tissue will need a certain amount of time to adapt to the new denture. Generally speaking, it takes at least one week for every ten years of the patient’s age for the gum tissue and the mouth muscles to adapt to a new denture. Example: if you’re sixty years old, it may take up to six weeks for the tissues to adapt to a new denture.
It is expected to develop pressure spots on the soft tissue during the first few weeks of wearing a new denture. We will provide any needed adjustments at no charge for the first month after delivering a new denture. After one month, an adjustment fee will be applied to any additional office visits.
Cleaning and Maintaining Dentures
Dentures are meant to be worn during daytime hours and should be left out overnight. Please do not sleep with the dentures in the mouth! The tissue beneath the denture needs to be regularly cleaned and allowed to rest to prevent bacteria and fungi from developing a thrush-like infection on the soft tissue. Remove the dentures at night and clean with a soft brush. Simple kitchen detergent or a specific denture cleaning paste is the best solution to use to clean the dentures. DO NOT CLEAN DENTURES WITH TOOTHPASTE – the abrasives in toothpaste that whiten natural teeth can damage the finish of the denture acrylic and lead to staining and weakening of the denture.
Denture cleaning tablets are useful to remove stains and persistent smells from dentures. If you have a metal-based partial denture, make sure your cleaning tablets are approved for metal-based partials. These tablets can be used at your convenience.
Please bring your dentures to any dental appointment, for both regular checkups and any treatment appointments. We can professionally clean the dentures in our ultrasonic cleaner to keep them fresh.
Immediate Dentures after Extractions
If you received your dentures at the same time that teeth were extracted, it is critical that the dentures be worn overnight for the first 24 hours after the extractions. Keeping the dentures in the mouth will help limit any post-operative swelling and ensure that you will be able to continue wearing the denture while the extraction sites heal. After 24 hours, remove the denture(s) at night to allow the tissues to heal normally.