Dentures or fake teeth are removable custom-built appliances that replace missing teeth. They are available in partial and complete forms. Partial dentures replace some of your missing teeth, while complete dentures replace all your teeth. Another option is using dental implants that anchor on metal connectors screwed into the jaws.

Initially, dentures may feel foreign in your mouth. But with time, you adapt to them. They restore your confidence, ability to eat, drink, and smile again. Thus, you must learn how to take care of your dentures and oral health.

Taking Care of Your Dentures and Oral Health

Do this by removing and rinsing your dentures with warm water after drinking and eating. Dentures are also fragile, so you need to handle them with care when removing them. One of the most important points to note when taking care of your dentures is to remove them when sleeping. Do not sleep with your dentures.

Sleeping With Dentures

While it is tempting, sleeping with your dentures can hurt you and ruin them. There are many other reasons you should remove your dentures when sleeping. Below are a few of those reasons. 

Bone Loss

Dentures are specific to fit the wearer. Your dentist will take a mold and create dentures that fit your jaw. It allows you to go about your daily activities and makes life easier. But as you wear your dentures, they will apply some pressure on your gums. The pressure helps the dentures stay in place.

However, it is vital to give your jaw a break. Sleeping with your dentures on will continue exerting pressure inside your mouth and on your jaw. The pressure eventually leads to the acceleration of bone loss on your jaw through resorption.

The process of bone resorption involves the breakdown and assimilation of old bone in the cycle of bone growth. Resorption happens as bones constantly remodel themselves and add bone. But when it happens too fast, it results in bone loss.

Shortening Denture Life

Your dentures also need some rest. You should remove them for at least 6 hours a day. If you grind your teeth at night, you may damage your dentures. Another reason is the longer dentures are in your mouth, the longer the exposure to the mouth’s acidic environment. The acidic environment shortens the life of your dentures.

That is why you need to clean your dentures properly with warm water. It kills any bacteria creating an acidic environment that could weaken them. Putting them in warm water also prevents them from drying out.

Sore Gums and Inflammation

Dentures are not natural to your body. The pressure they put in your jaw can cause sore gums. Since there is also a lot of bacterial buildup in the mouth, the sore gum may result in inflammation. Inflammation may result in sores and ulcers in the cheeks and mouth. The sores heal after a few days, but they keep recurring if you do not stop sleeping with your dentures.

For more information on dentures, visit Boss Dental Care at our office in Corpus Christi, Texas. You can also call (361) 245-5400 to book an appointment today.