The National Health Service in the UK repairs over 1 million dentures a year!

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Shocking fact when you consider that most of these repairs would have been preventable with proper cleaning and care. Here are my top 7 tips for cleaning your dentures:

1) Wash out after every meal

This will clean off any food debris and loose particles preventing the ingress of nasty bugs. Filling the sink half full with water will stop the denture from breaking if it were to fall.

2) Soak dentures in denture cleaning solution overnight

Dentures need to remain moist or else they could end up changing shape. This is a process known as warping. Placing your dentures in a cup of denture cleaning solution or cold water will prevent this from happening.  Another cautionary note is that a metal denture can stain with chlorine containing solutions such as Dentural and Milton so this is best avoided in these cases.

3) Wash the dentures in the morning

After placing the denture in the cleaning solution overnight ensure that you wash the denture with cold water as some cleaning solutions contain harmful chemicals that you would not want to introduce into your body.

4) Use a toothbrush twice a day to clean your dentures

The ideal toothbrush to clean your dentures is a small headed multi-tufted brush with medium bristles as these can get into the dentures nooks and crannies.

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5) Use Soap to clean your dentures

Soap is better than toothpaste to clean your dentures with as it much less abrasive. This means that your denture will not get scratched and marked during cleaning

6) Disclosing solutions or tablets

Disclosing solutions dye nasty bugs red meaning that you can see where the denture needs cleaning. These can be bought at most supermarkets, dental practices or pharmacies.

7) Regularly attend the dentist

Your dentist will set up a review date for you to have your dentures examined and professionally cleaned. Dentures if not regularly inspected can become bacteria traps leading to gum disease which cannot be felt by the patient. Ensure regular visits to your dentist to prevent this from happening.