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Dental hygiene tips for healthy teeth & gums

How long can you wear dentures?

Modern dentures aren’t the same “false teeth” your grandparents wore. They are made with superior materials and processes, so you won’t even notice you’re wearing them. However, do not leave them in. While it may seem like a harmless thing to do, wearing dentures, 24/7 may be detrimental to your health.

How are Prolong Wearing Dentures Harmful?
The constant wear of dentures could worsen bone loss, an issue already associated with dentures and missing teeth. Chewing on natural teeth stimulates the growth of new bone cells to replace the older ones. That stimulation, however, ceases once the teeth are gone. No matter how good the dentures are, bone loss is still a real possibility. 

The added pressure that dentures place on the bony gum ridges that support them can accelerate bone loss. When they are worn all the time, the gums are deprived of any rest, further speeding up the rate of bone loss. In addition to affecting your oral health, bone loss will gradually loosen your dentures’ fit, causing discomfort.

Wearing and Care for Dentures
It may be recommended that you wear them most of the time during the first few days, including while you sleep. As soon as your mouth becomes accustomed to your dentures, it is recommended that you remove them before going to bed. Your gums will benefit from this rest, and your mouth will remain healthy.

Dentures need six to eight hours of rest per day to rest the tissues under them. Many people at night remove dentures, but it can be uncomfortable and embarrassing for some people. You should leave your dentures out to benefit from the natural cleaning process and allow your gums to rest and relax. 

Therefore, if you wear dentures, you might decide to remove them at night while you sleep or during the day. Ensure that they are as clean as possible before you put them in for the night if you can’t take your dentures out overnight. If you feel that you can’t take them out overnight, make sure you soak them and clean them thoroughly in the evening. To make sure all bacteria accumulated overnight is removed, you must clean your dentures first thing in the morning.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!