Looking after your dentures

Dentures may feel a bit strange to begin with, but you'll soon get used to wearing them.

At first, you may need to wear your dentures all the time, including while sleeping. Your dentist or clinical dental technician will advise you on whether you should remove your dentures before you go to sleep.

It isn't always necessary to remove your dentures at night, but doing so can allow your gums to rest as you sleep.If you remove your dentures, they should be kept moist for example, in water or a polythene bag with some dampened cotton wool in it, or in a suitable overnight denture-cleaning solution. This will stop the denture material from drying out and changing shape.

Dental hygiene

Keeping your mouth clean is just as important when you wear dentures. You should brush your remaining teeth, gums and tongue every morning and evening with fluoride toothpaste to prevent tooth decay , gum disease and other dental problems.

You should:

• brush your dentures with toothpaste or soap and water before soaking them to remove food particles
• soak them in a fizzy solution of denture-cleaning tablets to remove stains and bacteria (follow the manufacturer's instructions)
• brush them again, as you would your normal teeth (but don't scrub them too hard)

Dentures maybreak if you drop them, so you should clean them over a bowl or sink filled with water, or something softsuch asa folded towel.

The British Dental Health Foundationwebsite has more information on denture cleaning .

Eating with dentures

When you first start wearing dentures, you should eat soft foods cut into small piecesand chew slowly, using both sides of your mouth.

Avoid chewing gum and any foodthat'ssticky, hard or has sharp edges.

You can gradually start to eat other types of food until you're back to your old diet. Neveruse toothpicks.

Denture adhesive

If your dentures fit properly, you shouldn't necessarily need to use denture fixative (adhesive). However, if your jawbone has shrunk significantly, adhesive may be the only way to help retain your dentures.Your dentist or clinical dental technician will advise you if this is the case.

At first, some people feel more confident with their dentures if they use adhesive.Follow the manufacturer's instructions and avoid using excessive amounts.

Adhesive can be removed from the denture by brushing with soap and water.Remnants of adhesive left in the mouth may need to be removed with some damp kitchen roll or a clean damp flannel.