Have New Dentures? Follow These Tips To Take Care Of Them This Summer

Your new dentures should look beautiful in your mouth. To keep them that way, you'll need to follow some basic rules for denture care. These tips for cleaning, care and stain prevention will help.

Get Into a Proper Cleaning Routine

It's important to get into a proper cleaning regimen as soon as you've acquired your new dentures. To clean your dentures, follow these tips:

• Use the appropriate tools. Use a denture toothbrush or a soft bristle toothbrush to clean your dentures. Use denture cleaner instead of normal toothpaste. Normal toothpaste is somewhat abrasive and can damage your dentures.
• Clean your dentures over a soft surface. Dentures are delicate and can break if not handled properly. When cleaning your dentures, place a folded towel over your sink or counter top to pad the dentures if they should fall.
• Remove your dentures for proper cleaning. Your dentures should be taken out of your mouth to be brushed. You should also remove your dentures in the evening to soak them overnight, as this will help remove food buildup that may have formed during the day. Soaking your dentures in water is acceptable, or you may soak them in an effervescent denture cleaning solution.

Buy Travel Supplies for Vacation

Proper denture cleaning tools may be hard to find at your destination. This is especially true if you're going somewhere remote or to another country where all products will be labeled in a foreign language. Bring extra denture cleaning supplies for your trip. Pack your spare cleaning supplies in a separate bag from your normal supplies, in case some of your luggage gets lost.

Since your dentures are new, it's a good idea to plan your vacation for later in the summer, after you're used to wearing them and eating with them. When you do leave, bring your dentist's contact information with you, in case you have questions while you're gone.

If you plan to participate in high contact sports on your trip, talk to your dentist about getting a mouth guard for your dentures before you leave.

Take Steps to Avoid Stains

Many summer drinks and foods, like iced coffee, sangria and berries, can stain your dentures over time. If you're using the right toothbrush, this will prevent your dentures from developing scratches that can soak in stains. However, it's still a good idea to practice stain prevention through the following methods:

• Drink sangria and coffee through a straw, so the liquid will bypass your teeth altogether.
• Swish your mouth with sparkling water after eating or drinking something that can stain.
• Eat crunchy vegetables with foods and beverages that stain, as this can help clean your teeth.

For more information, contact your dentist. He or she can give you more advice that is specific to your situation, which can help you keep your dentures looking their best.