1. Wear it correctly
In order to save trouble, many elderly people choose to throw dentures directly into their mouths when wearing them. In fact, this method will not only damage the gums, but also damage the dentures themselves. When wearing dentures, it is necessary to correspond to each tooth according to the method taught by the doctor, and then gently apply pressure to the denture or support with your fingers, so that the denture can be more snug and firm. When removing dentures, use your thumb to remove the hook (snap ring) upwards; When removing the denture, pull the hook down with your index finger to remove it. Be careful not to push or pull hard to avoid breaking the denture or deforming the hook.
2. Remove before bedtime
Some elderly people do not remove their dentures before going to bed, or sometimes forget to remove their dentures, which actually hides great safety risks. A media outlet in Zhejiang once reported that Mr. Zhang of Huzhou went to the hospital for treatment due to unbearable pain for kidney stones, and suddenly woke up from sleep during his lunch break on the second day of hospitalization, with difficulty breathing and cyanosis on the lips. It turned out that Mr. Zhang did not remove his denture during his lunch break, resulting in an accidental loss of denture in his sleep, blocking the trachea, but thanks to the timely rescue of medical staff, he turned the corner. This matter is to remind everyone that when sleeping or even taking a lunch break or a nap, don't be lazy and be sure to remove your dentures.
In addition, dentures and remaining teeth and tissues are easy to accumulate food residues and soft scale, not easy to clean, if you wear dentures to sleep at night, the residual food will produce acid under the action of oral bacteria, so that the remaining teeth form caries, and stimulate soft tissues and lead to inflammation. Moreover, wearing removable dentures to sleep, the gums cannot be rested at night, the alveolar bone is easy to shrink, and there will be a gap between the denture and the gum, resulting in a mismatch between the two, affecting the function of the denture.
3. Clean daily
Like real teeth, dentures also have plaque and tartar on their surfaces, and if they are not completely removed every day, pathogenic bacteria will proliferate abnormally and work with other risk factors to cause serious oral and other systemic diseases. A survey result showed that 88.1% of denture wearers were unable to clean their dentures effectively and 60% of denture wearers suffered from denture stomatitis.
So, how should removable dentures be cleaned after installation is the most scientific? Dentures are mostly made of resin materials, and their hardness is not comparable to that of real teeth, and it is possible to brush grooves with a harder toothbrush, which will deposit bacteria in these grooves, which is not good for the entire oral health. So it is recommended to choose a soft bristle brush to brush gently, or you can also use denture cleaning tablets, just like effervescent tablets, soak it in a cup with cold water at night, and rinse it the next day to wear it normally.
4. Regular follow-up
Many elderly people think that after installing removable dentures, they can go once and for all, completely forgetting the matter of regular follow-up, and they have to find a doctor for examination if there is a particularly uncomfortable condition. In fact, you should see a follow-up visit every six months after wearing dentures, because the condition of the mouth changes over time, and the removable dentures must be adjusted accordingly, such as applying force to the ring of the card.
5. Upgrade
If a pair of dentures is worn for too long, it will accelerate the retrophy of the alveolar ridge, and the gums will accelerate to become lower, so that there is no fixed position to support the denture, and it is very difficult to install the denture. Therefore, we recommend older friends to consider redoing dentures every 5 years or so.