When a patient no longer has any natural teeth, complete dentures are the traditional method to restore function and appearance. Many patients experience difficulty wearing conventional dentures because of poor stability and decreased chewing function. The use of dental implants to improve the stability and retention of dentures is becoming quite popular.
Before
After
COMPLETE UPPER DENTURE To replace Missing upper teeth
Before
“IMMEDIATE”
DENTURES
Placed immediately after tooth extraction
After
Guidelines for the care and maintenance of dentures
Based on the best available evidence, the following are guidelines for the care and maintenance of dentures:
Based on the best available evidence, the following are guidelines for the care and maintenance of dentures:
- Careful daily removal of the bacterial biofilm present in the oral cavity and on complete dentures is of paramount importance to minimize denture stomatitis and to help contribute to good oral and general health.
- To reduce levels of biofilm and potentially harmful bacteria and fungi, patients who wear dentures should do the following:
- Dentures should be cleaned daily by soaking and brushing with an effective, nonabrasive denture cleanser.
- Denture cleansers should ONLY be used to clean dentures outside of the mouth.
- Dentures should always be thoroughly rinsed af- ter soaking and brushing with denture-cleansing solutions prior to reinsertion into the oral cavity. Always follow the product usage instructions.
- Although the evidence is weak, dentures should be cleaned annually by a dentist or dental professional using ultrasonic cleansers to minimize biofilm accumulation over time.
- Dentures should never be placed in boiling water.
- Dentures should not be soaked in sodium hypochlorite bleach, or in products containing sodium hypochlorite, for periods that exceed 10 minutes. Placement of dentures in sodium hypochlorite solutions for periods longer than 10 minutes may damage dentures.
- Dentures should be stored immersed in water after cleaning, when not replaced in the oral cavity, to avoid warping.
- Denture adhesives, when properly used, can improve the retention and stability of dentures and help seal out the accumulation of food particles beneath the dentures, even in well-fitting dentures.
- In a quality-of-life study, 88patient ratings showed that denture adhesives may improve the denture wearer’s perceptions in retention, stability, and quality of life; however, there is insufficient evidence that adhesives improve masticatory function.
- Evidence regarding the effects of denture adhesives on the oral tissues when used for periods longer than 6 months is lacking. Thus, extended use of denture adhesives should not be considered without periodic assessment of denture quality and health of the supporting tissues by a dentist, prosthodontist, or dental professional.
- Improper use of zinc-containing denture adhesives may have adverse systemic effects. Therefore, as a pre- cautionary measure, zinc-containing denture adhesives should be avoided.