On denture hygiene yet again...

Dental Points By DenturePoint - HYGIENE of Dentures

Why it’s important to keep your dentures clean:

• To the naked eye your dentures will appear clean and shiny but in fact the surface is full of microscopic pores. These pockmarks are a harbour for pathogens and when your dentures are not cleaned on regular basis they will attach to them.

• Bad hygiene of your false teeth leads to systemic disease and even put you at risk for heart disease. Worse, some of the germs that live on your dentures can be breathed into the lungs and cause serious infections such as pneumonia.

• The bad hygiene of the dentures may also lead to denture induced stomatitis or oral thrush caused by the overgrowth of Candida Albicans.

• Denture owners with low saliva flow should be particularly concerned about the cleanliness of their dentures.

How to keep your dentures clean

• Clean your dentures using a soft toothbrush and mild soap and water or denture tablets. Standard toothpaste is not recommended as it is abrasive.

• Clean your dentures over a hand-basin half filled with water to prevent breakage if dropped.

• Brush your gums, tongue and palate (roof of your mouth) morning and night before you insert your dentures. This stimulates circulation in your tissues and helps remove plaque.

• If you find that your denture has a build up (tartar or calculus), soak it in white vinegar (1 part) and water (4 parts). If you still can’t remove the build up, call your dental prosthetist and make an appointment to have your denture professionally cleaned.

Dental Points By DenturePoint - HYGIENE of Dentures (Mornington Peninsula Magazine, August)

Why it’s important to keep your dentures clean:

• To the naked eye your dentures will appear clean and shiny but in fact the surface is full of microscopic pores. These pockmarks are a harbour for pathogens and when your dentures are not cleaned on regular basis they will attach to them.

• Bad hygiene of your false teeth leads to systemic disease and even put you at risk for heart disease. Worse, some of the germs that live on your dentures can be breathed into the lungs and cause serious infections such as pneumonia.

• The bad hygiene of the dentures may also lead to denture induced stomatitis or oral thrush caused by the overgrowth of Candida Albicans.

• Denture owners with low saliva flow should be particularly concerned about the cleanliness of their dentures.  

How to keep your dentures clean:

• Clean your dentures using a soft toothbrush and mild soap and water or denture tablets. Standard toothpaste is not recommended as it is abrasive.

• Clean your dentures over a hand-basin half filled with water to prevent breakage if dropped.

• Brush your gums, tongue and palate (roof of your mouth) morning and night before you insert your dentures. This stimulates circulation in your tissues and helps remove plaque.

• If you find that your denture has a build up (tartar or calculus), soak it in white vinegar (1 part) and water (4 parts). If you still can’t remove the build up, call your dental prosthetist and make an appointment to have your denture professionally cleaned.

For more information and to learn about DentureSpa (a professional denture clean up) please call Maggie at DenturePoint on 0400919513 or check our website www.denturepoint.com.au

Why does my denture get so dirty?

My patient contacted me recently to ask me why every single denture of hers gets very dirty.
I decided to ask me Dental prosthetist friend colleagues and we did a bit of brainstorming to find the right answers. Some of them were pretty obvious, some other quite interesting. And for all of you who would like to investigate in more details, there is a link to a very detailed study on the bottom here.

• Too much coffee or tea (but sometimes even one cup of tea or coffee can contribute to this problem)

• Smoking

• Saliva flow affected by the medicines taken such as for HBP

• Too much tumeric

• Toothpaste or abrasive toothbrush that scratches the denture surface and destroys high polish

• Mouth breathing (causing dry mouth)

• Bad finish of the denture - gingival junctions not smooth enough

Post Extraction Instructions and how to avoid dry socket.

Post Extraction Instructions

1. On the day of extractions ask someone to drive you home if possible and have a rest after when you get there.

2. Pain: do not wait for the pain to set in, start taking the painkillers immediately afterwards. Non-aspirin type of medication such as Ibuprofen would be best to take as they won’t thin your blood. The pain that persists for up to a week and then gradually disappears is considered normal. The pain that starts to get worse after two days is considered abnormal and could indicate dry socket.

3. Bleeding: some bleeding after extractions is to be expected. It is normal for saliva to be slightly streaked with blood or tea stained looking for 1-2 days. If persistent bleeding occurs, place moist gauze pads over bleeding area and bite down for half an hour. If bleeding still persists call your dentists for advise.

4. Swelling: some swelling is normal and should not cause alarm. An ice bag wrapped in a towel can be applied to the swollen area.

5. Food/Diet: stick to a liquid or soft food diet for the first day or two. Avoid drinking with straws for the first few days as this can result in bleeding and delayed healing. Avoid blowing through nose as these actions create a negative pressure which may cause bleeding.

6. Bony edges: small sharp bone fragments may work up through the gums during healing. If you are wearing an immediate denture that may cause quite a lot of discomfort. If annoying, call your dentist or dental prosthetist for advise.

7. Sutures: Dissolvable sutures should dissolve in 7-10 days. Non-dissolvable will need to come out in two weeks.

Dry Socket

1. Do not rinse your mouth straight after the surgery. Let the blood clot form.                             

2. 24 hours after the extraction rinse your mouth very gently with warm salty water but do not spit out forcefully. Make sure that the water removes any bits of food around the area where the tooth is missing after every meal.

3. Brushing: take care not to dislodge the blood clot when brushing near and around the extraction site for the first 3-4 days.

4. Smoking/alcohol: if you smoke it is advised that you do not smoke for the first 48 hours. Smoking will delay healing. Avoid alcohol for 48 hours as well.

These are all examples of my work! :-D

After COVID 19: what to expect at your next visit

Things might look a little different at your next appointment but we need to take all the measurements possible to keep you, others and ourselves as safe as possible. 

Let us see it as an experiment and do it together.

Here is what to expect:

1.    WAIT TILL CALLED

Please wait in your car and text us to let us know you arrived.

2.    SANITISE YOUR HANDS 

You will be asked to sanitise your hands on entering. You might be asked to wear protective shoe slippers.

3.    NEW CLINICAL OUTFITS

We will be wearing more protective equipment such as visors, hairnets and gowns.

4.    QUESTIONS

You will be asked some questions about your health and have your temperature checked and recorded.

5.    SOCIAL DISTANCING

The appointments will be longer to avoid more than one patient in the clinic and you will be asked to attend alone whenever possible. 

6.    THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION

We want to make sure that the way we treat our patients is the safest way possible. This is to keep everyone safe. 

Thank you for being patient and understanding.