What Should Daily Denture Care Entail?

The first and most important thing you can do to whiten your dentures is to keep them from getting stained in the first place. Just like your natural teeth, your dentures require day-to-day care to stay healthy and white. So here are some tips on how to keep your dentures white. 

Avoid Foods and Drinks That Stain

To start off, it’s a good idea to avoid food and drink that will discolor your dentures. Because your dentures aren’t made of organic materials like your teeth are, they’re more prone to getting stained and staying that way. 

It’s best to avoid foods like: 

• Coffee 
• Red wine
• Tea
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Artificially colored candy
• Black frosting
• Soda

Sometimes these foods and drinks just can’t be avoided. If that’s the case, enjoy them without your dentures in, or consider using a straw when possible. If you do have to keep your dentures in while you eat or drink them, it’s best to clean them right after you finish to help keep any stains from setting in permanently.

Wash Up After Meals

Acidic foods and sugary foods, in particular, can stain your dentures. If you let food hang out on your dentures all day, it will more than likely contribute to discoloration. 

To clean your dentures after eating, fill up a sink with water and pop out your dentures. The water-filled sink is crucial so that if you drop your dentures while cleaning them, they won’t break against the hard porcelain. 

Run your dentures under some water to give them a good rinse, and give them a light brushing. This cleaning process is simple, but it can make all the difference in the color of your dentures. 

Nightly Cleaning

If you have dentures, you probably know you’re supposed to clean them every night, just like you would with regular teeth. However, maybe you’re not quite as diligent about cleaning as you should be. 

If you need a quick refresher, here’s what to do to clean your dentures properly every night. 

Start by removing your dentures and breaking out your trusty soft-bristled toothbrush and a non-abrasive denture cleaner. Gently scrub your dentures with the cleaner, making sure not to bend or damage your dentures during the process. Make sure to remove any denture adhesive if you use it. 

Once that’s done, give your dentures a rinse, and move on to your mouth. Even if you have no natural teeth left, you need to give your mouth a gentle scrub to help get rid of any bacteria lurking around your gums. Scrub your tongue, cheeks, gums, and the roof of your mouth softly. 

Next, it’s time to give your dentures a soak. Dentures need to stay moist to retain their shape and continue fitting onto your gums properly, so this step is critical. Place your dentures in a cup filled with a denture-soaking solution — but plain water will also work just fine. 

Let them soak overnight, and when you wake up in the morning, give them a quick rinse, and they’re ready to wear again. This process is crucial for preventing staining and keeping your dentures white and fresh for as long as possible. 

Regular Checkups

Having your dentures checked out by your dentist twice a year is key. Our doctors will not only check to make sure your dentures are in good shape and fitting properly, but they will also give them a high-quality, professional cleaning to keep them clean, whiten them up, and help remove some stains.

Ways to Whiten Dentures

Even if you do everything right, it’s still possible that your dentures could get stained, and you’ll want to whiten them up a bit to stay confident in your smile. 

The first thing to know is that you should refrain from using normal tooth-whitening products on dentures. These products are formulated for natural teeth and could damage your dentures if you use them.

Similarly, never use bleach on your dentures. This could not only damage your dentures and discolor the denture “gums,” but it could hurt your mouth if any bleach lingers. 

Here are a few methods to properly whiten your dentures at home with supplies you probably already have in your cabinets. 

Hydrogen Peroxide

You can whiten your dentures by applying hydrogen peroxide to your brush and gently scrubbing your dentures with the solution. 

This method gives your dentures a good clean and can help whiten them without compromising the integrity of the material. Just make sure to rinse your dentures thoroughly before putting them back in your mouth. 

Baking Soda or Salt

Baking soda and salt are other great whitening tools that you likely have at home already. 

Simply dissolve either salt or baking soda in some water and use the solution to scrub your dentures. Again, make sure to give your dentures a proper rinse before using them.

White Vinegar

Finally, you can also use white vinegar to help keep your dentures fresh. Vinegar not only has effective whitening capabilities, but it’s also excellent at killing bacteria. 

For this method, you’ll want to soak your dentures in a cup of diluted white vinegar overnight.
Make sure you rinse your dentures thoroughly in the morning to get rid of any of the vinegar’s taste. 

Keeping Your Dentures Pearly White

All of these whitening methods can make a big difference in the color of your dentures, but the biggest key is daily denture care and preventing them from getting stained in the first place. 

When it comes down to it, everybody deserves to have a beautiful smile that they can count on for pictures, laughs, and special moments with their loved ones. These simple tips can help give you confidence that your dentures are going to get the job done for you. 

For more information about dentures and how they can help restore your smile, visit Renew.

Sources:

5 best ways to whiten your dentures | Authority Dental

Denture care: How do I clean dentures? | NCH Healthcare System 

Regular Check-Ups with Dentures | UK Health Centre