Caring for your dentures

So you are a current owner of a set of dentures and you’d like to maximise the lifetime of their use. Here’s a list of easy to understand instructions to make sure those dentures last:

 

• Leave your dentures in a glass of water at night – this gives your gums some rest, and keeps your dentures cleaner
• When you brush your teeth, take your dentures out and clean them using cold water and toothpaste – do not use bleach as this can often dull the colour of the acrylic denture material
• Place a takeaway box or a towel at the bottom of the basin while you are cleaning your dentures so your dentures don’t break if you drop them
• You can soak your dentures once a week for 3-4 hours in water with a suitable denture tablet (available in pharmacies) to help remove stains – avoid commonly used vinegar with water as this has often caused corrosion of the metal in the past
• Chewing with dentures is different to chewing with natural teeth. Use both sides of your mouth to eat as the pressure helps keep the denture in place