Denture Care
Taking good care of your dentures properly can keep your dentures lasting longer, working better and looking better. Each time you come to take your dentures off, you should fill your sink with warm water and keep a nice thick towel nearby alongside the sinks edge. You’ll need to take some precautions to insure the safety of your dentures once removed. Dentures can be really slippery, so if you have tile flooring or some other hard surface in your bathroom you may want lay down some bathroom floor mats or extra towels to keep your dentures safe from accidental slips and drops. A good thick rug can prevent your dentures from cracking if they pop out and fall to the floor.
The next step is to gargle with warm water to loosen the hold of the denture adhesive. Warm water will help release the seal of the adhesive and will make it easier to remove you dentures without excessive pulling or tugging. Remove the bottom denture first by taking a hold of the center portion of your lower teeth using your thumb and middle finger. Then lightly rock the denture back and forth being gentle to make sure not to irritate your gums. Eventually when the denture becomes loose, you can pull on it gently and fully remove it from your mouth.
Once the lower dentures are out then the top denture will be more accessible and easier to remove. The larger plain that he top denture is attached to makes it a bit more difficult to remove, but with the same rocking motion as before you can accomplish this. However, be careful not to scrape your gums.
Soak your dentures into a glass filled with a mixture of water and denture cleanser. Make sure to read the mixing instructions for your denture cleanser and let them soak for 5 to 10 minutes. While your dentures are soaking you can remove excess residue from your mouth. While you dentures are soaking, you can work on removing the adhesive residue in your mouth by swishing your mouth with warm water and rinsing with a mouthwash. If that doesn’t fully remove the adhesive, you can use a soft toothbrush and toothpaste on your mouth and gums as well as the roof of your mouth.
The last step includes removing residue from the dentures. After your dentures have soaked, the adhesive should have loosened. So, you may remove them from the soak and brush the residue away with paste and warm water. It’s important to brush long enough, at least two minutes, in order to properly clean and disinfect your dentures.