
Even after losing your teeth and resolving to wearing dentures, you should practice good oral hygiene. Good oral hygiene prevents the accumulation of plaque and bacteria that cause bad breath. However, if you practice good oral hygiene but still have bad breath, it could be due to wearing dentures for too long, wearing poorly fitting, wearing old dentures, or wearing unclean dentures.
Wearing Dentures For Too Long
As a denture wearer, you should give your mouth at least six hours break off the dentures. During this break, you should clean and soak your dentures to keep them in good condition. Wearing your dentures for extended periods of time encourages uncontrolled bacterial growth. This, in turn, increases your risk of gum disease and mouth sores, causing bad breath.
Poorly Fitting Or Old Dentures
Poorly fitting dentures irritate the gums and cause mouth sores. If untreated, mouth bacteria will find their way into these sores and cause fungal infection and gum disease; hence, bad breath. Thus, if you have ill-fitting dentures, you should visit us for adjustment or replacement. If you wear your dentures with adhesives to enhance fitting, ensure you clean off the preexisting adhesive before applying a new layer. Failure to do this encourages bacterial growth; hence, bad breath. Also, if your dentures are old, you should replace them to curb bad breath.
Unclean Dentures
To keep your dentures clean, you should clean them every time you clean your mouth. Cleaning your dentures prevents the accumulation of food particles and bacteria, which cause bad breath. To clean your dentures, use a mild soap or denture cleaning solution and a toothbrush. While keeping your dentures clean, you should also brush your gums and tongue at least twice a day. You should also schedule a regular check-up with us to check your denture fit and oral health. For more details on dentures and bad breath, contact our office today.