When you received your dentures, you celebrated having a full smile again! However, although you can wear them all day long, your dentist advises you to take them out and soak them in a container of water overnight. Some patients resist following these instructions because they don’t want to risk being caught without teeth anytime—day or night. Why would this step be necessary to care for your dentures? Keep reading this post to learn why soaking dentures overnight is essential if you want to enjoy your new teeth as long as possible.
To Give Your Gums a Break
As comfortable as modern dentures are fabricated to feel, your mouth could use some time out of dentures every day. Especially if you have had your dentures for several years, you could start to feel pressure points, where your dentures have more contact and could cause soreness after a full day of wear. In this scenario, you’d need to have your dentures relined to restore your comfort, but soaking your dentures overnight can provide some respite for your gums from your prosthetics.
To Keep Your Dentures Moist
Although your dentures contain durable materials, they are meant to stay at least a little moist all the time. When they become overly dried out, they could alter in shape more quickly or become more brittle than they would if properly maintained. During sleep, your mouth produces less saliva, which can allow your dentures to dry out, particularly if you tend to sleep with your mouth open! Soaking your dentures in a container of water and/or cleaning solution will keep them in the best state possible for long-term use.
To Sanitize Your Dentures
Along with changing shape, dry dentures present another significant problem: a warm, dry environment offers the perfect setting for bacterial growth. If you sleep with your dentures in your mouth, bacteria will have the opportunity to spread and create plaque, which sticks to your dentures. Although these prosthetic teeth cannot develop cavities, hardened plaque can still infect your gum tissue and damage your jawbone with acid, eventually leading to ill-fitting dentures much sooner than expected. In water, plaque’s impact lessens because it can be washed off and the acid neutralized. On a regular basis, you should also add a cleansing tablet to the water you soak your dentures in. While you sleep, it will sanitize your dentures and help keep plaque from messing up your restored smile.
In the end, your dentures are worth making this tiny extra effort to keep them in good condition. Every night before lying down to snooze, take out your dentures and place them in clean water with a cleanser, and you can wake up to a fresher, cleaner smile and feel confident in their longevity and appearance.
About the Practice
Located in Burleson, Marvel Dental is proud to have two highly qualified and skilled dentists on staff. Dr. Jay Oza and Dr. Hizamar Escobedo love serving their neighbors and friends and feel strongly about the quality of service they deliver. Our office provides state-of-the-art treatment ranging from routine cleanings and checkups to implant dentures and cosmetic procedures. If you are interested in learning more about dentures or our other treatments, contact us online here or call our office at 817-933-3883.