You’ve booked your appointment, you’ve read the brochures, and you’re a couple of weeks away from being fitted for a brand-new set of dentures. It’s an exciting time, but there’s more to getting dentures than paying your money and waiting for the dental laboratory to do the work.
One of the mistakes that denture-wearers make is assuming they can stop worrying about their teeth and gums. But those fake teeth still need to be cleaned and cared for. You don’t need to worry about them rotting or falling out, but they can still stain, warp, and break.
So, before you collect your dentures, make sure you purchase the items on this list. Some are more essential than others, but all of them will help you to keep those dentures clean and strong and ensure that your mouth remains healthy.
An XODENT Kit
Firstly, you’re going to need a denture-cleaning kit and that’s where XODENT comes in.
Of course, you don’t need to buy our kit, but it’s high-quality, affordable, and comes with everything that you need to clean and maintain your dentures. In fact, there are two versions of everything in each kit, so you’ll also have one for your partner. Alternatively, you can use the second one as a spare kit or a travel kit (more on that below).
The XODENT kit, like all good denture-cleaning kits, contains all of the following:
Denture Cleaning Tablets
Denture-cleaning tablets use mild cleaning agents to remove bacteria, grease, and food detritus from your dentures. It’s essentially the denture alternative of toothpaste, and it’ll keep them clean and fresh.
There are 30 tablets in each XODENT kit, and you can purchase more to re-fill as needed. Just fill the denture bath with water, add one of these tablets, and then pop your dentures inside.
The tablet will dissolve in the water and creating a strong but gentle cleaning solution that works through the night. In the morning, just give your dentures a quick brush, run them under the faucet to remove any stubborn pieces of food and all traces of the cleaning solution, and then put them back in your mouth!
Denture Baths and Strainers
A denture bath is a little container in which you place your dentures when they are being cleaned. There are two of these in each XODENT kit and we also include two strainer baskets, making it easier to soak, strain, and rinse.
A denture bath should come with a lid so that you can seal it while the cleaning solution works its magic. It keeps your dentures sealed and ensures they won’t dry out. It will also keep them away from prying eyes and dirty paws/fingers, which is perfect if you have kids, grandkids, or mischievous pets.
A Soft-Bristled Denture Brush
A denture brush is a small soft-bristled brush designed to remove food and stains from your dentures without damaging the delicate material. Fake teeth are not as strong and resilient as the real deal and will scratch if you repeatedly scrub them with hard bristles.
A denture brush is tailormade for this purpose, offering an effective but gentle clean.
We said that the XODENT kit contains everything, and we weren’t lying, because, in addition to providing enough basins, strainers, and tablets for you and your partner, our kits also include two brushes! So, if you’re worried that your old toothbrush is too hard and you’re not sure which brush would work best, just grab one of our kits and stop fretting!
It’s important to clean your dentures every night. Soaking them in denture tablets will keep them fresh and prevent a build-up of bacteria.
Get into the habit of removing and cleaning your dentures every night. Not only will it clean them, but it means they’re not drying-out at on your nightstand or accumulating bacteria in your mouth.
Dental Adhesive
If your dentures are designed properly and maintained carefully, you won’t need dental adhesive. It’s basically a glue manufactured to keep your dentures in place, but that shouldn’t be necessary with a well-made set of dentures.
However, there are times when you will need a little adhesive to ensure they don’t slip or slide, and it’s always good to have a tube on standby.
For instance, maybe you’re going out for a meal with friends and want to try some tough foods without worrying that your dentures will fall out. We recommend sticking with soft and chewable foods where possible, but it shouldn’t hurt to try something different every now and then and adhesive can prevent embarrassing episodes when you do.
More importantly, dental adhesive will re-establish a firm fit when your dentures begin to loosen, which is very common. Dentures can become loose even if they cost a lot of money, were fitted by an experienced dentist, and fit perfectly in the beginning.
Your gums shrink as you age. Your jawbone also begins to deteriorate when it no longer has teeth to support. Once you add issues such as chronic dry mouth, physical ailments, trauma, and gum disease into the mix, it’s very common for dentures to loosen their grip.
The first thing you need to do is schedule an appointment with your dentist. They will try to diagnose the issue and then adjust your dentures accordingly. Until then, you can use a little adhesive to lock them in.
Follow the guidelines on the packaging and never use more than stated. Dental adhesive is perfectly safe when used as directed, but several of the ingredients used in commercial dental adhesives are known carcinogens. Zinc may also be used and can cause neurological issues when it is consumed to excess.
Fortunately, the problem of zinc toxicity became big news around a decade ago and since then, many manufacturers have removed it from their formulas.
A Travel Kit
Dentures can dry out very quickly if you leave them on the nightstand. They can also accumulate a lot of bacteria if you don’t wash them or leave them in your mouth overnight. It’s important, therefore, to prepare a travel kit so that you’re never caught short when you’re away from home.
The XODENT Kit can help with this, as there are two lots of everything in each kit. If your partner doesn’t have a use for the spares, just add them to a little bag, make sure you have some dental tablets in there, and don’t forget to throw the bag in your suitcase before you take a trip.
You can, of course, just remember to take your main kit away with you whenever you leave the house, but with everything else that you have to remember—money, passport, tickets, underwear—it’s easy to forget. It’s best, therefore, to pack in advance and leave it in your suitcase, car, or some other place where it will never be forgotten.
Should you find yourself away from home without an XODENT kit or any other supplies, you can simply soak your dentures in water, make sure your mouth is thoroughly cleaned, and then drop by the pharmacy or grocery store the next day to grab some denture tablets.
Alcohol-Free Mouthwash
It’s recommended that you remove your dentures after eating and give them a quick rinse, removing any food that has become trapped in the teeth and mechanisms.
You can rinse your mouth at the same time. Water will suffice for this, as it’s surprisingly effective at removing bacteria following a vigorous rinse.
But what happens when you need something a little more potent? Maybe it’s morning and you’re waking up with a dry, sticky, and foul-smelling mouth. Maybe you’re getting ready for a hot date and you want your breath to smell fresh!
In such cases, it’s good to have a bottle of mouthwash to hand—just make sure it’s alcohol-free. Alcohol is great at killing bacteria, but it also dries out the mouth and dry mouth leaves you more prone to bad breath and plaque. It may even dry out your dentures and prevent them from adhering to your gums.
Forget about mouthwash brands that are designed to whiten or strengthen your teeth—none of that matters when you don’t have real teeth to worry about. You just want something that will remove the bacteria, moisten your gums, and leave your breath smelling fresh, and there are plenty of brands out there that meet that criteria.
Medicated mouthwash is a good option, and you can also add denture-specific brands like Fixodent Gum Care to your shopping list. It might cost a little more, though, so if you’re on a budget a general minty-flavored alcohol-free mouthwash will suffice.
One of the best ways to save money is to purchase mouthwash tablets. They are not quite as common as the liquid variety, but they are becoming much more common. Just add a mouthwash tablet to water, rinse, and spit. You use one tablet every time you need to rinse, and the tablets are sold dozens and even hundreds to a jar, greatly cutting down on plastic waste.
As they are tailored towards a health-conscious and eco-conscious customer base, these tablet mouthwashes also tend to be very gentle, using natural ingredients that won’t harm your gums.
One more important fact before we move onto the next tip…
You should never clean your dentures using mouthwash.
Some mouthwashes are okay and can make for a decent short-term denture tablet replacement. But some of them may harm your dentures and others just won’t provide a proper clean, as they’re not designed for that purpose.
Non-Whitening Toothpaste
You shouldn’t throw out your toothpaste, but you definitely need to change your habits.
Toothpaste should never be used on dentures. It contains highly abrasive substances designed to scrub the plaque and tartar from your teeth. Your enamel can take all of that vigorous scrubbing without issue, but your dentures will scratch.
Whitening toothpaste is even worse. Some of it contains a mild bleaching substance that provides a whitening action, but most whitening toothpaste brands just use stronger abrasives. As a result, they will do even more damage to your dentures.
Look for mild fluoride toothpaste, apply a small amount to a soft bristled-toothbrush, and use it to gently brush your gums. Bacteria can still accumulate there and if it’s left to fester, it will cause bad breath and, eventually, gum disease. Just because you don’t have any teeth left doesn’t mean you can relax your oral hygiene routine—your gums can still bleed and recede.
Never use whitening toothpaste for this purpose. Not only is it completely unnecessary, but the heavy abrasiveness will harm your gums. Fluoride mainly benefits your teeth, but it may also help to kill the bacteria on your gums. You don’t need a lot of it, as you’re not trying to rebuild your teeth or deal with sensitivity, so a small amount will suffice.
Alternatively, a natural toothpaste will work, just make sure it uses gentle ingredients like essential oils and baking soda, as opposed to activated charcoal, which works as an abrasive.
Chewing Gum
Chewing gum is a sticky nuisance. The reason it doesn’t stick to your teeth is that your teeth are coated with saliva and this helps to keep the gum together and ensures it doesn’t pull your teeth, destroy your fillings, or get stuck in the crevices.
It’s a different story with dentures, though. They’re not coated with saliva and the gum has a way of sticking and causing problems.
And that’s a shame, as it helps to stimulate saliva production and combat dry mouth, which is one of the most common issues among seniors. Not only does dry mouth become more common with age, but seniors are also more likely to take medications and suffer from ailments that cause dry mouth.
You’ll need to give up on your favorite chewing gum brands when you wear dentures, but there are some great alternatives out there.
Freedent is probably the best-known and most popular of these. It is a chewing gum brand that we have discussed several times on this blog as it’s one that has been targeted toward denture-wearers for many years.
It’s non-sticky, fresh-tasting, and will provide all the benefits of regular chewing gum without causing any of the problems.
If you choose the right gum, you don’t need to worry about it pulling your dentures out of place. The irony is that it might actually help to hold them in place.
Your dentures rely on suction to stay in place. Think about those plastic suction cups that you use to fix toys and shower curtains in place. You can’t simply press and hope—you need to wet them first. The moisture creates a seal, and it becomes very hard to remove them.
By the same token, you need saliva between your gums and your dentures to hold them in place. If you have a chronically dry mouth, chewing gum could help to produce that essential saliva throughout the day.
It will also exercise your jaw and help you get used to wearing your dentures. One of the biggest issues that first-time denture wearers have is that it feels unnatural when they speak and chew, but as with anything else, it just takes practice.
If you spend a lot of time chewing gum after leaving your dentures fitted, you’ll get all of the practice that you require.
The icing on the cake is that chewing gum will also combat bad breath, which is a big problem among denture wearers due to dry mouth and ineffective cleaning routines.
Summary: Preparing for Your Dentures
Dentures might be the end of your real teeth, but they are the start of some brand-new fake ones. You’ll have many great years of smiling, laughing, and living ahead of you and if you’ve spent many years with missing or decayed teeth, it will be a huge step up!
To make sure you’re prepared, pick up an XODENT Kit today. It contains everything that you need to properly clean your dentures and it should last as long as they do.
You will need some re-fills every now and then, but that’s it!
Just remember, if your dentures don’t fit anymore, your teeth are chipped, or you notice any cracks, you should book an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible. As with real teeth, the sooner you make that appointment and remedy the issue, the easier and cheaper it will be.
If you’re worried your dentist will tell you that you need a new set, don’t be, as most issues can be fixed. And if you want to reduce the risk of such issues occurring in the first place, buy an XODENT Kit, read the instructions, and wash daily!
For more guidance on using and washing dentures, take a look at the many guides on our blog, including our guides to 12 Fixes for Common Denture Problems and the Cost of Dentures.
