Implant dentures are a good strategy for replacing lost teeth. With them, you can bite and chew normally. And with fixed implant dentures, you don’t have to take them out to soak and clean.
However, it’s still important that you properly clean your implant dentures to protect your oral and overall health.
Here are some tips for cleaning your implant dentures to protect your health.
Brush and Floss Teeth
Treat your implant dentures like natural teeth. This means that you need to brush and floss them daily. Depending on the composition of your implant dentures, you might have recommended toothpaste or brush styles, but for many people normal toothpaste and brushes work reasonably well.
The floss you use depends on what works best for you. There are many materials and styles of floss, and they all work well. Some people prefer premade flossers. Others like to use floss holders. And some people do best with interdental cleaners.
On the other hand, some people get the best result using a water flosser, such as WaterPik. The streams of water can blast out accumulated food and bacteria. It’s also worth noting that this is a great tool for cleaning under the denture.
Clean under the Denture
Don’t forget to clean under your denture. Ideally, the space between the denture and your gums should be small. And since your denture is fixed, it won’t open up to let in a lot of food and bacteria. But even in the best implant dentures, there is some space, and this needs to be cleaned to protect your health.
You can clean under the denture with floss. Some floss has a firm end that helps thread it under the denture, but if you want you can use a floss threader to get it under the denture. Make sure you sweep it back and forth through each of the spaces under the denture.
Don’t forget to floss around the implants themselves. You can wrap the floss around the implant or approach it from both sides, but make sure you clean off the entire implant.
A water flosser is a great choice for cleaning under the denture. It can get into places where it’s hard to reach with dental floss.
Finally, brush all the parts of your gums that you can reach under the denture.
Signs You’re Not Properly Cleaning an Implant Denture
So how do you know if you’re not keeping up with hygiene on your implant denture? Watch for these signs.
Bad taste or smell: If you have food residue or bacteria buildup under or in your denture, you will likely notice a bad taste or smell. Often, this is a sulfurous smell, related to anaerobic bacteria in places where oxygen doesn’t penetrate.
Denture stains: Depending on the material, your implant denture might be highly stain resistant. But some denture materials are vulnerable to staining, and if you notice your denture is getting discolored, you might want to change your routine.
Red, irritated gums: Implant dentures are great at protecting your gums from irritation. Implant-supported dentures, in particular, take all the weight off your gums. This should keep your gums from becoming red, inflamed, or painful. So if you’re experiencing red, inflamed gums, it could be related to poor hygiene under there.
See your dentist if the problem persists or if it involves one of the implants. Request an urgent appointment if you notice that your gums are receding around the implant. It might not be important, but it could be.
Looking for Quality Dentures?
If you are considering dentures, whether they are implant or removable dentures, investing in quality dentures with good fit always helps. After all, many hygiene problems are related to poor implant denture fit.
FOY® Dentures dentists understand the principles of achieving optimal denture fit. To learn more about quality dentures, please contact a local FOY® Dentures dentist today.
