Keeping dentures and Bridges clean

Why is cleaning important?

Dentures and bridges collect bits of food, plaque and tartar, just like natural teeth. By keeping them clean, you help prevent gum disease and stop decay in any natural teeth. The lining of your mouth can become swollen and sore where it is in contact with dirty dentures.

Cleaning a denture is quite easy because you can take it out of your mouth. Cleaning all round and underneath a fixed bridge is harder. Your dentist or hygienist will show you how to do it.

How do I look after a denture?

Clean the denture over a basin of water so that it does not break if you drop it.

Brush the denture inside and out with a toothbrush every day. Use a softto-medium brush so that you do not scratch the denture. Use your normal toothpaste, or soap and water. Then rinse the denture.

Ask your dentist about denture-soaking solutions. Soaking a denture will not clean it. You also need to brush it. Rinse the denture before you put it back in your mouth.

Whether you wear your denture at night or leave it out is a personal choice. As long as your mouth, teeth and denture are cleaned well it may be more comfortable to keep it in, however if your mouth is at all sore then you should leave it out at night until the mouth is comfortable again.If the discomfort lasts more than a couple of days let your dentist know.

Keep a denture in clean water or a denture-soaking solution when you are not using it.

How do I clean a bridge?

How you clean will depend on where the bridge is in the mouth and its design. As well as normal brushing with a fluoride toothpaste and flossing at each end of the bridge, you need to keep the bridge clean underneath. You might use:

• Special floss with a stiff end which you can poke underneath the bridge and pull through;
• Bottle brushes' (your dentist will tell you what size and shape to buy); or
• Water jets - sending a stream of water underneath the bridge.

What are the benefits?

By keeping a denture or bridge clean, you help keep your gums and teeth healthy and avoid bad breath.

People who wear dentures sometimes get an infection called oral thrush. Thrush is more likely if you wear the denture all the time. Good denture hygiene is important for preventing oral thrush.