Daily care of dentures and dental implants will help maintain the look and feel of natural teeth. Oral hygiene and care for dentures and dental implants is easy. Check out our daily care tips and products to use to extend the lifespan of dentures and dental implants.
Denture Care
If your jaw is unable to support teeth or dental implants, dentures are the best option. Dentures are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth. These artificial teeth can act as a replacement for one or several teeth (partial dentures) or all of the teeth (full dentures). Conventional dentures are removable but may rely on bonding or clamping. To keep dentures fresh, clean and free from stains, follow these daily care tips:
- Never use denture cleaners inside your mouth. Remove dentures from the mouth daily and clean using a double head denture brush with non-abrasive soap or denture cleaner.
- Once dentures are removed and cleaned, gently floss between and brush natural teeth, gums tongue, cheeks and roof of mouth with a soft-bristled toothbrush to increase circulation in mouth tissue, remove plaque and denture adhesive. Rinse with clean water or gentle mouth rinse after brushing. A washcloth can also be used to gently remove plaque from sensitive gum areas.
- Soak dentures in a denture container overnight with denture cleaning solution to clean and retain denture shape.
- After an overnight soak, repeat a morning brushing/rinsing routine with natural teeth, wash hands, then rinse dentures thoroughly before placing them in your mouth. Clean your denture between uses. Use cool or lukewarm water to rinse. Hot or boiling water could warp dentures. Always remove and rinse dentures with water after eating to remove food debris.
- Schedule regular dental checkups to have your dentures and mouth examined and professionally cleaned. Your dentist will examine your dentures during a dental checkup to ensure a proper fit and comfort level. An improper denture fit can cause mouth irritation, sores and infection. Contact your dentist immediately if dentures loosen.
Three Rivers Dental is the proud provider of Comfy Fit Premium, Flexi Fit Partial Dentures and Snap Fit Dentures. Our dentures are crafted with high-quality materials to ensure a natural look and comfortable fit and custom-designed for each individual. We offer 8 styles of full and partial dentures to assure you a wide range of comfortable and affordable denture options.
Dental Implant Care
Dental implants look, fit and function like healthy, natural teeth. They are built to last, and improve confidence, well being and overall oral health. According to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, 3 million people have implants and that number is growing by 500,000 a year. Properly cared for dental implants should last a lifetime.
Oral hygiene and care for dental implants is the same as natural teeth. Although implants will never decay, gum tissue around them can become irritated, inflamed or infected without good oral hygiene. Poor oral hygiene can lead to plaque build up, gingivitis and gum disease. In rare cases peri-implantitis can occur. This destructive inflammatory process affects the soft and hard tissues surrounding dental implants, resulting in bone and implant loss. To maintain the integrity of dental implants, follow these daily care tips:
- Start with an oral irrigator, also known as a water flosser to clean gums and hard to reach spaces between and around the teeth and implants. Many water flosser brands offer rubber tip stimulators and attachments for sensitive gums and teeth to gently remove food particles trapped between implants and the gum line. Starting with an oral irrigator ensures fluoride toothpaste introduced during brushing and flossing is not rinsed away.
- Brush under and around the implant crown at least twice daily using a narrow-headed soft-bristle toothbrush with low abrasive toothpaste. Be extra careful about the type of toothpaste you choose. Baking soda, whitening or tartar-control toothpaste formulas are abrasive and will scratch, not whiten implants. This causes long term damage and makes the implant vulnerable to staining. Ask your dentist for toothpaste recommendations for dental implants.
- Following brushing, floss daily while toothpaste residue is still in your mouth with crown and bridge floss or a nylon coated interdental brush designed to clean hard-to-reach places. Ask your dentist about implant approved floss prior to purchasing. Some brands not approved for implants can shed particles between implants and natural teeth, causing gum irritation.
- Rinse daily after brushing and flossing to remove toothpaste residue and keep teeth and dental implants free of bacteria and plaque.
- Visit your dentist regularly for cleanings and check-ups to monitor the health of your gums and jaw bone. With the latest technology in dental equipment and procedures and highly skilled staff, Three Rivers Dental can create a custom dental implant solution to meet your unique needs.
Our dental offices are using best practices to ensure both staff and patient safety as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Finding the best dentist in Pittsburgh is easy. Contact Three Rivers Dental today for an oral health evaluation and dental care recommendation tailored to your individual needs. Call 1 (855) 4 NO FEARS or schedule an appointment on our website. We are conveniently located throughout the Pittsburgh area in Greentree, Cranberry, and Greensburg.