Although your gums are no longer responsible for supporting your teeth when you have full dentures , they do still have an important role: supporting your dentures and protecting your bones. So it’s important to take care of your gums when you have dentures. Here’s how.
Get Properly Fitting Dentures
Properly fitting dentures will help foster healthy gums. 6 Signs Your Dentures Don’t Fit will cause tight spots, pinching, rocking, and irritation. All of these can not only make your dentures uncomfortable, they can cause gum recession or inflammation. In serious cases, gums may recede to the point where they expose your bones underneath. More often, receding gums coincides with the loss of jawbone.
Use Denture Adhesive
Denture adhesive can help keep your gums healthy. Even with the best-fitting dentures, it’s possible that food particles will get under the denture while you’re eating. Denture adhesive helps create a tight seal under the dentures, preventing food from migrating underneath. Make sure you use an appropriate amount–too much denture adhesive might be bad for you.
If you do get food under the denture, make sure you clean them off to prevent irritation of your gums.
Clean Dentures and Gums Thoroughly
At the end of the day, you should clean out your dentures thoroughly to remove all food particles and denture adhesive. Also brush your gums gently with a soft brush to make sure they are clean, too.
Some people recommend massaging your gums to encourage blood supply that might help retain your jawbone longer, but this hasn’t been scientifically verified.
Keep Dentures Out at Night
Sleeping without your dentures gives your gums a chance to recover. It gives your gums the chance to rest and recover from the stress of supporting the dentures all day. After all, your gums aren’t designed to support your teeth–that’s your bones’ job. It also allows saliva to wash over the gums, moisturizing, nourishing, and cleaning them.
See the Dentist Regularly
Regular dental checkups will allow your dentist to make sure that your gums are healthy and stay that way. Your dentist can identify sore spots, problems with denture fit, and gum disease, which can still occur.
Following these tips will help you maintain healthy gums while wearing dentures. If you would like to learn more about great-fitting dentures and how they can help you, please call (803) 781-9090 for an appointment with a Columbia, SC denture dentist at Smile Columbia Dentistry today.
