If you wear dentures, you may be tired of taking them in and out all the time. We get it: sometimes wearing dentures can be a pain. However, we are here to tell you, you can’t wear your dentures while you sleep. There are several reasons your dentures need to be taken out at night, including an elevated pneumonia risk. Not sure what we mean? Here are some of our thoughts on denture removal during sleep.
Dentures
Dentures are replacement teeth. They are made of plastic, composite, acrylic and porcelain. They are used to replace your teeth that have been damaged due to accident, injury, tooth decay or gum disease. Dentures fit perfectly to your gums and allow you to eat or speak without difficulty.
Why Leaving Dentures In Can Be a Problem
Dentures need to be removed at night for several reasons. First, your gums need to be cleaned twice a day. This is really important, because leaving dentures in can cause a buildup of tartar and plaque. Tartar and plaque are bacteria and they can cause infection. Research has found that people who leave their dentures in all night are twice as likely to get pneumonia as people who remove their dentures nightly. If you leave your dentures in at night, you are also at a higher risk for infections that can lead to major gum disease, heart disease or stroke.
Also, leaving your dentures in overnight also means that you may risk cracking or breaking of your dentures, especially if you suffer from bruxism, which is clenching or grinding of your teeth. Clenching or grinding your teeth means that you could crack or even break your dentures while you are sleeping.
Do you have questions about your dentures? We have some answers, so why not give us a call today?
Merritt Island