How You Can Get The Most From Your Dentures

If you have a single lost tooth, you can get a dental implant or a dental bridge to replace it. But when you’ve lost a lot more, your smile will look unsightly. Plus, it can be frustrating to try and eat the foods you love.

By calling our Decatur, AL dental office today at 256-274-8680, you can make an appointment to get dentures. Whether you need a few in a row replaced or a full arch, Dr. Betts has the right mix of advanced training and practical experience to help.

Dentures Are Still Here Because They Work Great

You probably have heard of dentures before, and you might associate them with being old. That’s because dentistry has improved a lot over the past few generations. Losing most of your teeth used to be an inevitable part of growing older. While that’s not true anymore, many people do need to replace a lot of their teeth.

Dentures have been around for a while, but dentists still use them. That’s because they do a great job at replacing missing teeth. There are two kinds of dentures:

  • Full dentures include a full arch of natural-looking replacement teeth. If you only have a couple of your natural teeth left on the top or bottom of your mouth, you probably want full dentures.
  • Partial dentures include a few replacement teeth connected in a row. Partials are perfect for when you still have most of your teeth but have lost a couple.

Keeping Your Dentures Successful

Remove your dentures each night.

Your dentures rest on your gums. Whenever you chew, you’re putting a good amount of pressure on them. That’s why your gums could really use a break by nighttime. If you don’t take your dentures out every night, you could get sore gums. That could lead to your dentures not fitting right or being a bit painful to wear.

Keep your dentures wet.

Dentures are designed to be in a warm, wet environment like your mouth. That means they need to stay wet. If your dentures dry out, they could warp. This can lead to them not fitting right or being uncomfortable on your gums. When you take your dentures out each night, keep them covered by water.

Only use cold or lukewarm water.

Speaking of water, some people think using boiling hot water will help keep their dentures clean and sanitary. Unfortunately, that’s not entirely true. Water that is very hot can damage your dentures and make them uncomfortable to wear. When you soak your dentures or clean them, be sure to use cold or lukewarm water.

Handle your dentures gently but securely.

Your dentures are designed to put up with a lot of pressure. After all, they’re made to chew up all kinds of food. However, they can still get damaged by handling them too roughly. Similarly, be careful not to drop them. If dentures fall on a hard surface like tile flooring, they could bend or even break.

Clean your dentures each day.

You brush your natural teeth, so why shouldn’t you brush your dentures? Keeping your dentures clean will help them last longer, look better, and avoid developing an odor. However, do not use regular toothpaste! That’s designed specifically for enamel, and it can damage the replacement teeth in your dentures. Instead, use a product specifically made to clean dentures.

Keep visiting our Decatur, AL dental office every six months.

Even if you get dentures for all your teeth, you still need to visit the dentist’s office regularly. That’s so Dr. Betts can examine your gums and dentures to make sure they’re still healthy and working properly. Although cavities are not a concern, gum disease still is.

Secure your dentures with dental implants.

If you are worried about your dentures moving around while you eat, there is a secure alternative: implant-secured dentures. These still feature replacement teeth set in a gum-colored base. But instead of using adhesive to stay in place, they are connected to several dental implants placed in your jawbone. Not only will this keep your dentures where they belong, they will stimulate your jawbone and help keep it healthy and strong.

Call us TODAY at 256-274-8680 or use our online form to make your next appointment for partial, full, or implant-secured dentures.