You and Your Dentures

Care of Mouth

  1. Remove the denture at night wehen you are ready to sleep.  The denture should remain out of the mounth at least 8 hours in each 24-hour period unless Dr. Gaddy advises you differently.
  2. Use a soft toothbrus tho massage and cleans all of the gum tissues which are covered by the denture.
  3. Scrub your tongue with a soft tissue.
  4. After each meal, whenever possible, remove the dentures, rinse your mouth and carefully clean the dentures.
  5. Home reliners and adhesives should never be used.

Care of Dentures

  1. Thoroughly cleanse the inside as well as the outside of the denture using a denture brush liquid detergent or non-abrasive bar soap.  Toothpaste should not be used on the denture.
  2. Brush the denture over a basin of water.  If the denture should slip and fall, the water will prevent damage to the denture.
  3. Soak the denture overnight in a commercial denture cleaner.  (A substitute cleaner is: 1 teaspoon Chlorox and 2 teaspoons calgon water conditioner in a cup of water. Never soak a denture which has metal parts in the Chlorox-type cleaner.)
  4. Never let the denture dry out.  When it is not in yoru mouth, it should be kept in a cleaning solution of water.

What to Expect

  1. New dentures will feel strange in the mouth for a few days.  The mouth may seem too full.  This sensation will pass in a few days.
  2. It can take as long as six months to feel like the dentures are a comfortable extension of yourself.  Be patient and realize the break-in-period can be a frustrating and difficult time.
  3. There will be an increased flow of salive until the tissues accept the dentures. Any foreign object produces salivary flow.
  4. Speech difficulties are overcome by practice.  Read the Rainbow Passage aloud.
  5. Learning to eat may require several weeks.
  6. Do not eat corn on the cob, apples or other foods which tend to dislodge the dentures and cause harm to the weak part of the ridges in the front of the mouth.  These foods should be cut with a knife and fork and chewed on the back teeth.  This will aid in seating the denture.  Tearing and biting food off with the front teeth tends to unseat the dentures.
  7. If any problem whatsoever arises with yoru denture, call Dr.Gaddy.  Do not adjust, reline or repair your denture.  Dr. Gaddy's responsibility and obligation ends and the denture may be ruined if you attempt to adjust or repair your own denture.
  8. No denture is permanent.  Changes will continue to occur in the bones and soft tissues of the mouth.  Only Dr. Gaddy can determine if your mouth is in a healthy condition and if new dentures are needed.  Return to Dr. Gaddy at least once a year for regular checkups and maintenance of your denture.