In the same way that bad breath bacteria and debris sticks to natural teeth, they also stick to dentures. And if not kept properly clean the dentures can cause bad breath and other nasty oral diseases as well.
By preventing this from happening, people with dentures need to make sure they follow two rules.
1. The false teeth have to be cleaned properly and
2. The parts of the mouth where bad breath bacteria tend to accumulate must also be cleaned thoroughly. These
areas include the gums (tissue) where the dentures rest on as well as the back of the tongue area.
How often should dentures be cleaned?
The space between the dentures and the gums where the dentures rest on is the ideal place for bacteria to breed and the fact that it is easy for food particles to enter under the dentures you should:
1. Always take the dentures out after every meal and clean them
2. Brush the dentures on the inside as well as on the outside
3. Remove any denture adhesive still present on the dentures and then replace with new adhesive
4. Wipe the gums with a wash cloth or alternatively use a soft toothbrush to clean the gums.
The plastic surface of the dentures is relatively rough on a microscopic basis which gives bad breath causing bacteria innumerable places to hide in.
Is brushing alone enough to keep dentures clean?
The answer is NO. Even though you need to brush your dentures regularly, the toothbrush bristles are too large to fit into the microscopic size holes on the dentures where bad breath bacteria lives. Luckily there are two solutions to this problem.
1. It has been found that by using an ultrasonic denture-cleaning unit together with brushing your dentures it
cleans the dentures much more effectively because of the vibratory motion that provides an additional
cleansing action.
2. After mechanically cleansing your dentures it is strongly advised that you go one step further and clean and
disinfect the dentures chemically. This is because chemicals can get into the microscopic holes where the
bad breath bacteria are and illiminate them. Denture breath cannot be cured without the regular chemical
soaking of the dentures.
Is there any way to tell if you have denture breath?
Here is a simple test for you to use to see if your dentures are the cause of your bad breath.
1. Put your dentures in a plastic bag and seal the bag
2. Leave the dentures in the bag for a couple of minutes
3. Now open up the bag and smell inside
If there is a bad smell then your dentures are at least partly to blame for that bad breath. It could be that you could have other factors such as bacteria on your tongue contributing to that bad breath as well.
So make sure that you keep up with the denture hygiene regime discussed here. This will help you to keep bad breath and other oral diseases at bay.