Patients without teeth need to clean their oral tissues daily. Our office recommends an electric “spin brush” with soft bristles to massage and clean the oral tissues (tongue, roof of mouth, cheeks, and gums). Warm saline (salt water) or warm alcohol-free mouthwash should be used at least twice daily (after breakfast and before sleeping). It is best to rest the oral tissues when sleeping by taking the dentures out of your mouth and, after thoroughly cleaning them, placing them in a separate denture bath filled with DISTILLED WATER. “Tap” water has bacteria in it that can be absorbed into the denture base material. Therefore, use distilled water in your denture baths.
Denture Adhesive Removal from the Dentures:
Denture adhesives have cellulose in them. Cellulose absorbs water. The best way to remove denture adhesive from the dentures is to soak the denture in a bowl of warm water while you are cleaning your oral tissues. Then, after soaking the denture in warm water, use a denture brush and warm water to finish cleaning the adhesive out of the denture.
Denture Adhesive Removal from the Oral Tissues:
Again, since denture adhesives have cellulose in them, using water to over-hydrate the cellulose causes the adhesive for be easier of remove from the oral tissues. In order to do this, fill a large cup full of warm water (add a few dashes of table salt or a capful of alcohol-free mouthwash to the warm water). With the dentures out of your mouth, hold a mouthful of the warm water in your mouth for at least 30 seconds or longer. Move the warm solution around your mouth vigorously in order to loosen the adhesive. Then spit out the mouthful. Repeat this until the cup of water is gone. Using a spin brush during this process helps to loosen and clean away the adhesive.
Denture Adhesive Application:
Denture adhesives are necessary to enhance the “suction-cup effect” that creates “retention” in the upper full denture. Denture adhesives do not work as well in the lower full denture due to the saliva and liquids pooling in the floor of the mouth and washing out the adhesive. Also, the lower denture has much less surface area to gain suction. Rarely do lower dentures have the suction that an upper denture can have.
Denture Adhesive Application continued:
In order for denture adhesive to work properly, the denture must fit the dental arch/mouth properly. Then, the denture adhesive should be applied to the denture in a very thin coating and away from the denture borders. The denture needs to be completely submerged in a bowl of warm water for 30-60 seconds. The denture is then placed in the mouth and either held in place or the teeth are closed together for 15 seconds or more. The reason NOT to follow the directions on the tube of adhesive is that the directions are to place either little buttons or strips of adhesive on the denture and then to place the denture in the mouth. The problem with this technique is that adhesive needs moisture to activate the cellulose in the adhesive. So, the adhesive draws moisture out of the oral tissues and causes the denture adhesive to “cake” onto the oral tissues. This thickness not only changes the way the denture fits the mouth, but it also changes the bite. Adhesive applied in this way becomes very difficult to remove. The adhesive often builds up in the mouth and can often be an eighth or quarter of an inch in thickness.
Dental Check Ups for Denture Patients:
Lastly, full denture patients should be seen at least annually! This appointment is to check the general condition of the dentures. An oral exam including an oral cancer exam is done. Panoramic dental x-rays are taken periodically to check the bone and, if there are any impacted teeth still in the jawbone, to check for pathology. Patients with dental implants are seen more often depending on the type of implant prosthesis they have. X-rays are also taken more often if dental implants are present.
Schedule an appointment with us today by calling 309-693-7200. Our Peoria Office (Proctor Professional Building) is located at 5401 North Knoxville Avenue, Suite 302 in Peoria, IL. Or visit us online for more info https://www.denturesparexcellence.com/.