The History of Dentistry
Tips for Living with Dentures
Regina Carlson
Dentures are artificial teeth used as a replacement for your missing teeth. Dentures offer an excellent way to help you maintain a great looking smile even with missing gum tissue. With proper oral care, your dentures will have you smiling, eating and even speaking with complete confidence. Here are five tips guaranteed to help you live a healthy comfortable life.
Maintain proper oral hygiene
Ensure that you clean your dentures every day; this helps you maintain proper oral hygiene. Just like natural teeth, irregular brushing can lead to the build-up of tartar and staining of your dentures. In order to keep them clean, rinse dentures to remove food particles. Then take warm water and clean them using a soft brush and mild hand soap or dish-washing detergent. In addition, take a few minutes to brush your gums, cheeks, tongue and mouth using a soft-bristled brush before you wear the dentures.
Soak you dentures in denture cleanser
Denture cleanser is a non-abrasive cleansing fluid that helps you remove food, plaque, bacteria, and usually kills any germs on your dentures. Soaking your dentures in cleanser every day, immediately after brushing them helps to fight off bad breath. However, the denture cleanser should never be used inside your mouth. In fact, ensure that you rinse everything well before putting the dentures back in your mouth. Dentures need to be soaked for a specific length of time, which varies with the manufacturer. Each manufacturer recommend how long you should soak your denture in order for the cleanser to be effective.
Take a break
It is recommended that you take breaks adding up to 6 hours from your dentures. The breaks allow tissues in your mouth to heal from all the irritation caused by the dentures. Taking them off when you go to bed is one way of ensuring your mouth gets the needed break. When you take them off, store them in either warm water, or in the cleansing solution specified by the manufacturer. Warm water helps them maintain their shape and keeps the moist so to ensure comfort when you wear them.
Visit your dentist regularly
No matter how healthy you feel, it is advisable to visit your dentist, at least once in a while. Your dentist will examine your gums to ensure there are no signs of bacterial infections and spot any signs of other oral illness before it is too late.
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Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved stories about the past. Whether the stories were about horses, wars, exploration or even dentistry, I loved to hear them. I find that knowing the history of something helps it to make sense and feel approachable. I know that some people have dental anxiety, and I too have suffered, but I also feel like the more you know about dental work and its history, the easier it is. This blog is dedicated to exploring the history of dentistry – What did ancient people use for fillings? How did early dentists numb their patients? Who was the first dentist? Those are just some of the questions I plan to answer here. Ready? Okay, let's dive into the history of dentistry together!