Why Removing Dentures at Night Is Important for Your Oral Health

For denture wearers like yourself, dentures have the power to transform your appearance. Dentures also probably helped you regain your chewing and speaking efficiency. Despite these benefits, there are things to remember about dentures and how to care for them. For starters, like your natural teeth, your dentures require daily cleaning and regular dentist checkups. What is more, if your dentures can be removed, remove them at night before going to bed. In fact, removing dentures at night is important for your oral health.

Why removing dentures at night is important

With dentures comes a whole new routine for oral health. In addition to brushing and rinsing the dentures at night, wearers should try to avoid sleeping in dentures as much as possible. Instead, the dentures should be left to soak in a soaking solution or room temperature water overnight so that gums can rest. It also makes it easier for denture wearers to clean their gums. Cleaning gums helps to keep fungi and other oral bacteria from building up in the mouth.

When the dentures are not removed at night and the gums are not allowed to rest, wearers run the risk of gum irritation. Additionally, when the dentures are not brushed properly on a regular basis, tartar builds up. Over time, oral odor and other diseases may pop up and cause pain or discomfort. In severe cases, oral conditions like gum inflammation and thrush may also develop. While regular care helps to prevent these conditions, removing dentures every night will help to reduce the risk of more serious oral health issues over time.

As if these oral concerns are not enough motivation for wearers to remove their dentures, there are other oral concerns to think about. For starters, when dentures are not removed at night, there may be a decrease in salivary flow. This side effect has the potential to evolve into a serious oral condition called denture stomatitis. The particular condition leaves gums vulnerable to yeast infections. Remembering to remove dentures in the evening before bed can prevent this condition.

Increased pneumonia risk

Pneumonia is another risk to watch out for. It turns out that when people sleep, moisture continues to build in their mouth. Typically, that moisture is naturally swallowed without much thought. However, dentures may get in the way of this natural process. Instead of swallowing the excess saliva, the body may try to pull it into the wearer’s lungs. This increases the risk for pneumonia and other serious health issues.

Remove dentures at night to protect your oral health

Proper denture care can prevent all of these oral issues. Additionally, when you take good care of your dentures, they are more likely to fit well for longer. Give your mouth a rest and remove your dentures at night. If you have questions about how to care for your dentures at night, contact a general dentist today.

Request an appointment here: https://www.escondidofamilydentistry.com or call Escondido Family Dental Care & Specialty Center at (760) 747-7223 for an appointment in our Escondido office.

Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Dentures in Escondido, CA.