Rules for storing removable dentures at night

Caring for dentures

• Types of structures
• Plastic dentures
• How to care at home
• How to care and store
• Nylon dentures
• Clasp dentures
• Care products

Dentures require careful care.
In order for them to serve their owners for a long time, you need to learn how to carefully care for them and store them correctly. Their insufficient cleaning and non-compliance with hygiene rules often cause destruction of neighboring teeth, inflammation of the gums, and bad breath. It is also important to listen to the recommendations of the doctor, who, when installing such structures, should tell the patient how to use them correctly. Dentures will retain their original appearance for a long time, provided:

• choosing the right cleaning product;
• maintaining daily oral hygiene;
• Visit the dentist at least twice a year for professional cleaning.

The main task of people who wear such designs is to maintain their aesthetics and durability. This can only be achieved if denture care is carried out in accordance with their type.

How to clean a clasp denture: cleaning technique, brush, paste and other care products

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1. Why do clasp dentures require care?
2. What methods should you use to clean?
3. Features of daily care procedures
4. After what food do you need to clean especially carefully?
5. What products are needed for care?
6. How to clean before bed and how to store at night
7. Cleaning the prosthesis in the clinic

Question for a specialist
Caring for removable dentures requires special care and attention. Since these orthopedic structures are quite massive, compared to non-removable ones, more plaque forms on them. In today’s article we will talk about why and how to clean clasp dentures. We will also dwell on which tools and means are best to use and how often to use them.

Types of structures

There are two types of dentures: removable and fixed. Nylon and acrylic models are removed and can be cleaned with running water, preferably boiled. But it is better to clean with special solutions that are effective in getting rid of bacteria. They are purchased in pharmacies in ready-made form or in tablets dissolved in water. To fix such structures, glue, cream or strips are used.

These care methods also apply to partially removable structures, which include clasp models. Fixed veneers, implants, bridges, crowns require more careful care. Dental floss is used to clean hard-to-reach areas. Interdental brushes are also effective. You need to complete the procedure of cleaning from food debris by rinsing your mouth using special products.

Differences between clasp dentures for the upper and lower jaw

The designs of dentures for the upper and lower jaws are different

• For the upper jaw Unlike plate dentures, clasp dentures do not cover the entire palate. A narrow metal arch may be located closer to the teeth, in the middle of the palate, or at the back of the palate. Another option is a ring-shaped arrangement, when the arc runs along the perimeter of the sky, and its central part remains open. The type of construction is selected taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient’s dentofacial apparatus, as well as the presence/absence of a gag reflex.
• On the lower jaw When making prosthetics for the teeth of the lower row, the arch is always located in front on the inside of the teeth just below the base of the teeth.

Plastic dentures

Rinsing after eating, cleaning with toothpaste, disinfection - these are the main rules for caring for plastic dentures.

The ideal option would be to clean them regularly after eating. If this is not possible, thorough cleaning 2 times a day is allowed. To remove plaque in hard-to-reach places, brushes and dental floss are additionally used.

Plaque is removed by washing with water, brushing with a special paste, and the procedure ends by placing the structure in an antiseptic solution. Twice a year it is necessary to take it to the dentist for professional cleaning to remove deposits and stones.

Indications and contraindications

Clasp prosthesis with clasp fixation can be recommended in the following cases:

• absence of one (rarely) or several teeth;
• the presence of an end defect - one-sided or two-sided;
• loose teeth due to periodontitis or periodontal disease (clasp dentures are also used here for splinting);
• inability to use other types of prosthetics.

There are also contraindications, some of which are temporary. For example:

• poor oral hygiene;
• acute diseases of teeth and gums;
• pregnancy.

General contraindications to the use of clasp dentures include the absence of supporting teeth, allergic reactions of the body to the materials used in the structure, as well as a number of serious diseases (oncology, diabetes, mental disorders, etc.).

How to care at home

The products used to clean your home can achieve good results. The most important thing is to regularly care for your dentures at home. But professional cleaning should be an equally significant addition to home care.

When cleaning them at home you need to use:

• with a soft toothbrush (carefully treat areas of contact with the gums);
• non-abrasive toothpaste (you can use gentle children's toothpaste);
• tablets - indicators of bacterial plaque;
• disinfectant solutions (antiseptics, rinses containing chlorhexidine, special tablets).

Treatments using vinegar or lemon are especially popular. Frequent cleaning with vinegar is not advisable, as it negatively affects the strength of the teeth. You can use this method sometimes by placing the structure in vinegar for 2 hours.

It is safer to mix a quarter of a lemon with toothpaste or powder and apply the mixture and leave for 20 minutes. Then rinse with running water. Some people try to use baking soda, but doctors say there are no results from such cleansing, despite the prevailing opinion about its effectiveness.

How to care for and store dentures

In the past, when removable plastic structures were made from air-drying rubber, they were stored in an aqueous solution. Now they are made on the basis of acrylic and nylon, which do not require such storage.

Proper care and storage of dentures is an important condition for their long service life. Therefore, it is worth listening to the advice of doctors who recommend not removing them at night, especially immediately after installation, so that the person can get used to them and the articular heads of the jaws do not move. When removing them at night, they do not need to be kept in liquid; they can be left dry, wrapped in a clean napkin.

It is not recommended to remove clasp structures while sleeping, especially if you have periodontal diseases, but if you need to remove them for a short period of time, they need to be thoroughly cleaned, dried and placed in a case.

How to clean before bed and how to store at night

There is a common belief that artificial teeth should be placed in a glass of water overnight. But modern removable dentures, incl. clasp, this storage feature is excluded. They do not need to be placed in water, because... As a result, the material swells and its service life is reduced. Clasp ones can generally be “stored” in the mouth at night, i.e. Don’t take it off – this will make you get used to it faster. However, saliva production slows down during sleep hours. This is why some people find it uncomfortable to sleep with false teeth in their mouth, so they remove them. Orthopedic structures that have been cleaned and dried with a soft cloth should be stored in a special container. It can be purchased at a pharmacy, medical equipment store, or in online stores.

Read on the topic: how to properly store a clasp denture so that it remains beautiful and comfortable for a long time.

Nylon dentures

To preserve the properties of nylon structures for a long time, we must not forget about special care, otherwise the loss of their aesthetics and functionality and an unpleasant odor are guaranteed.

Caring for nylon dentures involves home and professional cleaning. When cleaning the house, nylon can be scratched if you use hard brushes. Therefore, it is recommended to acquire only soft models of brushes and pastes that do not contain abrasive substances. To protect against damage, they should be put on or taken off over a sink filled with water. You can fold a terry towel in several layers and carry out these manipulations over it.

Due to the fact that this material is capable of absorbing foreign odors and being stained by drinks and food, wearers of such prostheses need to disinfect them more often. For these purposes, dental nylon liquid, cleansing tablets such as Corega or ROCS are used.

To remove bacterial plaque from them that cannot be cleaned at home, an ultrasonic bath is used. The procedure is performed by a doctor in the clinic, where he also examines the gums under the structure. Thanks to the use of ultrasound, the surface gets rid of not only bacteria, but also coloring substances (nicotine) and tartar.

Prerequisites for wear

• Use of abrasives. When cleaning a denture with toothpaste with a whitening effect, scratches may appear on the structure, facilitating the accumulation of bacterial plaque on the denture.
• Inadequate maintenance of the structure. A dirty denture often becomes a prerequisite for its rapid wear and causes inflammatory processes in the oral cavity.
• When smoking, drinking coffee or strong tea, dental structures turn yellow, and a hard-to-remove brown plaque appears on them.

Clasp dentures

Partially removable clasp structures are made from different materials. The most commonly used materials are cermets and plastics. Depending on the type of material, it is determined what the optimal care for clasp dentures will be.

The peculiarity of caring for them is explained by the fact that their arches are made of metal. This requires a special approach to cleaning. When an arc is made of several separate parts, the joints should not be mechanically processed to avoid darkening and staining on them. When cleaning, only use a soft brush. Otherwise, care is similar to that of other removable models. Only once a week you need to treat them in a biological solution designed to remove stubborn stains and food debris.

If home care does not give the desired effect, then professional cleaning is recommended to remove hard deposits and plaque. This needs to be done once every six months.

It is not necessary to remove the clasp structures at night, especially during the first 2 weeks.

Patient's note. Clasp prosthesis

What unusual sensations await you during the period of adaptation to a clasp denture?

Foreign body effect

This is exactly what your clasp prosthesis is for the body. These feelings are especially acute in the first week after receiving the prosthesis. All your attention may be focused on this feeling for a long time; it may interfere with your work and rest. In people with unstable nervous activity, who can hardly bear the slightest irritation, this feeling gives rise to the desire to remove the prosthesis and abandon it.

Do not do that! Try to be a little patient and every day it will get a little easier.

The effect of “novelty” and the effect of “presence”

You may feel like your denture is taking up all the space in your mouth. There is little room for the tongue, and the lips and cheeks are full and pushed back. You feel the volume and size of the prosthesis.

And this is all due to the design feature of the clasp prosthesis and the presence in it not only of teeth, but also of a metal arch, artificial gum and fixation elements. Such sensations will be new to you, and this is the norm.

Painful sensations in the teeth

It can be expressed in the form of clenching or unclenching of the teeth, pain when chewing and touching the teeth. This is due to the peculiarities of fixation of clasp dentures. And this kind of sensation in the teeth is a normal reaction to the increased chewing load on them. This will go away on its own as the teeth adapt.

Painful sensations in the gums

They will be especially noticeable during chewing and closing teeth. This is a distinctive feature of absolutely all removable structures, since they put pressure on the gums, which is not physiological.

In clasp dentures it is minimal, but still there. If these sensations occur throughout the entire length of the prosthesis, this is normal at first, and you will simply have to get used to it.

If the pain is localized at some point, you will need to come in for correction of the prosthesis. But, before coming, you must wear the prosthesis for at least 3 hours without removing it. During the examination, the doctor will be able to quickly determine the location of the rubbing and make a minimum number of corrections in the future (there may be 3-4).

Unusual sensations when closing teeth

Teeth in a clasp denture may appear “higher” and be slightly palpable when moving the jaw left and right and back and forth. This is because they have a completely new chewing surface that is different from your old teeth. It just takes time to get used to it.

Nausea and vomiting

This is due to the gag reflex, and the prosthesis is an irritant for it. It’s not a problem, just take any sucking lollipops, and these symptoms will disappear very quickly.

Impaired taste and tactile sensations in the mouth

At first, you may not feel the taste and temperature of food so clearly. This is not surprising, since the prosthesis covers part of the mucous membrane. The sensations will be restored, but it will take time.

Salivation disorders

This is expressed in its abundant discharge in the first 2 weeks, dry mouth in the next 2 weeks, and normalization a month after fixing the prosthesis. This is how the body reacts to a foreign body, and these phenomena are quite normal.

Speech Impairment

After fixing the prosthesis, the pronunciation of some words and sounds may be impaired. This is a consequence of restrictions on the movements of the tongue due to the presence of a prosthesis in the mouth. At the end of the adaptation period, everything will be restored. During this period, try to speak more, read aloud and practice pronouncing complex sounds and words.

Mobility of the prosthesis

It is a consequence of the design features of the clasp denture and the shock-absorbing properties of the gum itself. It is for this reason that these prostheses are classified as removable structures. To enhance fixation, you can use special creams (President, Corega, Protefix).

To do this, the denture is thoroughly cleaned, dried with tampons, and the cream itself is applied in broken lines. Afterwards the prosthesis is fixed in the mouth. This cream will also prevent food from getting under the denture.

Chewing and eating

It is with this process that many problems are associated at first, since the clasp denture is structurally very different from your natural teeth. And the sensations during chewing will also differ.

Removable dentures restore only 30-70% of chewing efficiency, with clasp dentures this figure is maximum and amounts to 70%, but you still won’t be able to chew with them as if you were using your own teeth.

In the first days, start with soft food and gradually increase its hardness by 3-4 weeks. It is recommended to eat slowly, in small pieces and not put a lot of food into your mouth at once. This will relieve you of pain in your gums.

Try not to bite with your front teeth at first, but chew food with your side teeth (simultaneously, left and right at once). This type of chewing is not entirely comfortable, but it will prevent the denture from tipping over and falling off. In the future, you will be able to chew on one side, while one of them will be more comfortable (this is your working side), and the second less (this is the auxiliary side). It will not be possible to feel the same comfort when chewing on both sides.

Never eat: very hard, hot or sticky foods.

Caring for clasp dentures

For the longest and most comfortable use of clasp dentures, we recommend that you follow certain hygiene rules, and the most important of them is that the denture must be clean.

This will preserve its attractive appearance for a long time, and will relieve you of unpleasant odor, inflammation and atrophy of the gums. Cleaning should be done regularly - twice a day (morning and evening), remove and clean the denture with toothpaste or soap and a toothbrush.

You can use cleaning tablets: dissolve 1 tablet (CoregaTabs) in 0.5 glasses of water, put the clasp denture in a glass for 15 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly under running water.

After each meal, the denture should be removed from the mouth and rinsed thoroughly with water. If this is not possible, then at least rinse your mouth with water. To prevent food from getting under the denture, use fixing creams (President, Corega, Protefix).

Clasp dentures do not need to be removed at night; they can also be left in place for up to 3 days, subject to proper hygiene rules (cleaning and rinsing).

If, for some reason, you remove the prosthesis for a long time, then you need to store it in a special sealed case or bag, after adding a little water there.

The prosthesis should not be stored dry!

Recommendations for the future

1. You need to visit an orthopedic dentist at least once a year to examine and check the integrity of the prosthetic structure.

2. Once a year, the denture needs to be relined and artificial gum added.

3. Once a year, it is possible to replace the silicone fixing locking elements (if they are included in the design).

4. Replacement of the clasp prosthesis is recommended after 5-6 years.

If you experience any unpleasant sensations, we are waiting for you to see an orthopedic doctor.

tel. 8(8452) 736-222, 65-00-51

Care products

Modern means for caring for dentures are varied and more effective than the old-fashioned solutions with soda and potassium permanganate, which will do more harm than good. They are specially designed for different types of structures, therefore they are absolutely harmless.

Care products can be fixative or cleansing. The most popular of them are fixing adhesives and creams. They contribute to a reliable fit of the prosthesis and redistribution of the load during chewing. It prevents food debris from getting under them and does not rub the gums, since the glue creates an airtight cushion. At night, the structure with fixing substances must be removed, this is the condition for their use.

Fixing powder is suitable for people with weak salivation. A thin layer of powder is applied to the structure, which is pressed tightly against the gums, creating an obstacle to food particles. And strips of special canvas for fixation are necessary if a person has an abnormal jaw structure.

Another common remedy is special tablets that dissolve in water. This solution can not only clean dentures, but also whiten them. True, they do not work on persistent nicotine stains; you will need the help of a dentist who will remove them with ultrasound. This needs to be done every six months.

Rinsing, cleaning, disinfection, professional care - these are the main components of the care process. And what means are used for them will depend on the specific model of prostheses.