3 Tips To Keep Your Dentures Working Great

Dentures are still the most popular method for replacing entire rows of teeth because of their affordability. However, as with any oral prosthetic, normal wear and tear can cause your dentures to weaken. Over time, you may need repairs or even a replacement denture. However, there are some things you can do to prolong the life of your dentures and reduce the need for repairs. Check out these three tips for keeping your dentures working great.

Only Eat What You Can

Traditional dentures aren't secured in your mouth. They fit snuggly over the gums, and patients can use gel or strips to help stabilize them, but there is a learning curve to eating with dentures. You must learn to eat in a new way, such as ensuring you have food on both sides of your mouth at the same time. In the beginning, you may only be able to eat extremely soft foods, such as pudding, oatmeal, bananas, etc. without your dentures moving. The more your dentures move, the higher the risk of causing damage, such as a crack. As you get accustomed to eating with dentures, you can advance to harder foods, but it is often best to avoid chewy, sticky foods permanently.

Keep Them and Your Gums Clean

With dentures, you won't ever have to brush your teeth again, but you will need to keep your dentures clean to avoid staining. Don't clean your dentures with toothpaste. Toothpaste can be harsh because it is designed to help remove stains from teeth. Your dentures may become scratched if you use toothpaste. Many patients simply use a denture soaking solution overnight to keep their dentures looking great. You can (and should) however, continue to brush your gums. You can even continue to use toothpaste to ensure your gums are free from plaque. Even without teeth, your gums can become irritated from plaque, causing gum disease.

Get Loose Dentures Corrected

Depending on when your teeth were removed, your jawbone may be changing. After patients have teeth removed, their jawbones shrink. This can cause your dentures to fit incorrectly because they were measured before the jawbone atrophied. Therefore, even if your dentures fit perfectly on day one, they may end up too big. You can get a new set of dentures, but if money is an issue, consider relines. Relines simply add more material to the denture, so a new impression can be made that fits the jawbone again. They can be soft or hard, and patients can buy over-the-counter products or have the dentist reline their dentures for them. Visit a website like https://www.allvalleydental.com/ if you need to have your dentures corrected.

If you've had all your teeth removed, dentures can finally give you back the confidence you've lost. However, like normal teeth, dentures can wear down. These three tips, however, will help your dentures look better for longer. For more information about dentures, contact a dentist in your area today.