Dentures are the tried-and-true solution for tooth loss and remain popular today because of their many advantages. These versatile prosthetics can restore your smile’s functionality and appearance regardless of how many teeth you’ve lost.
It’s natural to have questions about dentures when they’re new, like whether sleeping with them in your mouth is okay. While this might be acceptable occasionally, it’s not typically recommended. Continue reading to learn 4 reasons that soaking them overnight is a wiser choice!
Motivation #1: Dentures are Porous
Your new teeth may seem to be made of completely solid materials to the naked eye, but on a microscopic level, they’re covered in tiny pores. These pockmarks are ideal places for bacteria and other unwanted particles to hide and flourish. That means that even if you remove your dentures twice daily to be thoroughly brushed and flossed, germs can still thrive in the minuscule holes.
Placing your restoration in a glass of water rinses away unwanted particles from even the smallest spaces to keep it fresh and clean.
Motivation #2: You Produce Less Saliva at Night
Most people experience significantly diminished saliva production at night as part of their natural circadian rhythm that controls the body’s sleep cycles. That’s bad news for your dental health because the average human mouth contains about 50 to 100 billion bacteria made of 200 or so different species, and they enjoy dry conditions. If you leave your prosthetics in at night, they’re more likely to develop plaque that contributes to bad breath and gum disease.
Meanwhile, leaving them in fluid like water or a soaking solution while you snooze keeps them moist so they retain their shape but aren’t exposed to additional germs in a dry mouth.
Motivation #3: Older Adults Have More Bacteria
Did you know that an estimated 50%+ of denture wearers are 55 years or older? Unfortunately, older adults have higher bacteria counts in their mouths, regardless of whether they wear dentures. Additional germs leave you more vulnerable to oral issues like decay and disease, and when your mouth is dry overnight, you’re less able to fight off a possible infection. Leaving your new teeth in a glass of liquid at night keeps them out of your mouth to prevent unnecessary plaque growth on their surfaces.
Motivation #4: Soaking Kills Germs
Many types of denture cleaning products claim to leave your restoration sparkling fresh, but they don’t all deliver results. It’s usually more effective to place your prosthetics in a special soaking solution overnight to penetrate the countless pores and eradicate germs. This method is so effective that it can potentially eliminate up to 99.9% of unhealthy bacteria.
Now that you know the benefits of soaking your dentures at night, it’s easy to see why it’s so frequently recommended!
About the Practice
At Baldwin Family Dental, you benefit from two dentists who provide a full array of services to meet all your needs under one roof, including dentures. Dr. Panousis and Dr. Waheed, take the time to get to know your unique concerns and smile goals, and then tailor a unique treatment plan to help you address them. They combine a caring and compassionate approach with state-of-the-art technology to enhance your comfort while increasing the accuracy of your results. To replace missing teeth, you can request an appointment on the website or call (850) 215-0128.