Dentures Frequently Asked Questions

During this article one of our Director’s answers the most frequently asked questions we hear from our patients almost every week in our clinics.

Why take dentures out at night?

Imagine wearing your shoes and socks to bed every night. Your feet wouldn’t really get a chance to relax and breath and the skin would suffer over time.  It is the same for your mouth and dentures if oyu wear them to bed every night then your gums don’t get a chance to breath. Removing your dentures at night allows the gums and bone to relax from the pressure of the denture during the day.  If you prefer to wear your dentures all day, every day, it is advisable to remove the denture for at least an hour once or twice a week.  This allows the blood to flow freely through the gum tissue and keep it healthy.

Why do dentures hurt?

New dentures may hurt at first, this is usually resolved by the clinician making adjustments to the new denture.  In the case of old dentures hurting, this may be caused by the denture not fitting as well as when new.  Gum tissue and bone change over time but the denture remains the same, it can then rub and cause discomfort and soreness.  This is why dentures should be renewed about every five years.

How to remove stains from dentures?

Brushing your denture every day can help to minimise the effects of coffee, wine and nicotine.  These tough stains can be kept under control with regular brushing.  Always use a soft toothbrush as this prevents scratching the denture.  There are many commercial products for cleaning or soaking dentures. 

TIP: use half water and half white vinegar to soak denture, ensure denture is immersed.  Soak for 5 minutes daily.

TIP: make a paste with bread soda and water and gently brush denture with this.

ALWAYS RINSE THOROUGHLY after cleaning.

CAUTION – never use household products such as bleach etc.

NOTE:  If there is staining or build up that you cannot remove with regular cleaning then it might be time to replace your dentures or have them professionally cleaned. 

Please get in touch with our team if you have another query that we have not covered in our frequently asked questions.

Article by Mary Mahon, Director and Co-Owner of Dental Tech Group

For Emergency Appointments and further Information 01 455 1866 or email clinics@dentaltech.ie

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Dental Tech Denture Clinics

DUBLIN – Whitehall House, Terenure, Dublin 6W – Call 01 4551866

WEXFORD – The Whitemill Medical Centre, Wexford – Call 053 9192999

WATERFORD – Waterford Health Park, Waterford – Call 051 365999

KILDARE – Vista Primary Care, Naas, Kildare – Call 01 4551866