Could Your Dentures Be Making You Sick?

If you wear dentures partial or full you’ve probably become well accustomed to the finer points of caring for them. Washing, rinsing, soaking, and all those hassles have become part of life, right? At Really Smile Dentistry we see a lot of patients with dentures and we’ve found that despite their good intentions that isn’t always the case!

In fact, a surprising amount of patients don’t practice good denture care habits at all! By becoming too relaxed in their daily denture routine they open themselves up for serious illnesses! We don’t want our denture patients to be at risk for that kind of trouble – find out what you can do to prevent it!

What Are The Potential Risks?

There are two big culprits to be concerned about: pneumonia and MRSA, a hard to treat staph infection of the lungs. The bacteria that cause both these conditions has been found in ample amount on dentures that were tested for harmful bacteria – in fact, 60 percent of patients tested positive for these or other harmful strains! That’s more than half the dentures being used today!

The problem of getting those bacteria on your dentures comes from the fact that they aren’t always in your mouth. By taking your dentures out during the day and not properly cleaning them at night you’re just inviting harmful bacteria to climb on!

Pneumonia and MRSA are both respiratory conditions, so you might be wondering how the bacteria gets into your lungs. For denture wearers there’s two primary causes. First there’s sleeping with your dentures in. If you do that you’re on a definite path to illness! The second cause is ill-fitting dentures. If your dentures aren’t fitting right and you’re breathing through your mouth air can pass over the dentures and pull bacteria off and into your lungs!

Preventing Denture Illnesses

The best way to prevent your dentures from making you sick is to make sure they’re perfectly clean! Here’s some steps you can take to make sure your dentures are always fresh:

• rinse them (and your mouth) every time you eat.
• brush them in the evening with a special denture brush and a denture toothpaste.
• soak your dentures in a special denture soaking solution. Don’t just use water.
• brush your gums and remaining teeth twice a day.
• rinse your dentures off before wearing them in the morning.
• never sleep in your dentures!

You also need to be sure you’re seeing us at our Carmel dentist office for regular visits! It’s essential that we keep track of your oral health so we can tell if something is changing or if you are at risk for a secondary condition!

Rather Ditch The Dentures?

Some denture wearers are just waiting for the perfect time to get rid of them! This is your call to make a change in life! If you want to eliminate your need for dentures and get permanent, lifelike, and fully functional teeth we can help with dental implants!

Using one or more titanium screws we can replace a single tooth, partial dentures, or even full-mouth sets! Imagine being able to wake up in the morning with your teeth right where they should be – in your mouth! You can greet the day with a smile, eat your favorite foods once again, and feel just like you did before your tooth loss!

We have a variety of dental implant treatments available and we’d love to help you find the right one!

The Choice Is Up To You!

Whether you want help with your denture hygiene habits, want to look into dental implants, or just need to schedule a cleaning Really Smile Dentistry is here for you! Treat yourself to a great dental care experience and call us today at 317-597-8748! You can also request an appointment by filling out our online form. We’ll see you soon!