Cleaning your “plastic beauty” : Patient checklist for cleaning dental prosthesis

The oral cavity is a party house of microbes! Around 700+ species of microbes including chromogenic, aerobic/anaerobic bacteria’s, viruses and opportunistic fungi thrive in synchrony with all hard and soft dental and paradental structures. Together they are known to cause a vicious cycle of disorders, which not only cause destruction of dental and paradental structures (gums and periodontium) but also cause systemic diseases with severe effects on all the visceral organs including heart, brain, digestive system and can cause cancer!!!! If this is the case with natural oral structures, one can imagine the effect of these “local inhabitants” on some “foreign prosthesis”!!!

Dentures/prosthesis are known to have greater colonization of the bacterial phylotypes as compared to the natural structures because of its higher surface roughness and high surface free energy. This is true not only for the plastics/acrylics used in dentures, but also for the most sophisticated titanium and other dental implant material, which are known to show colonization by disease-associated bacteria within 14 days of second-stage surgery. Thus, whether you are a fresher or a seasoned dentist, you must be well aware that proper cleaning and maintenance of any prosthesis is as important as constructing one. The due care of artificial teeth is obligatory just like natural teeth. Here’s a quick checklist for our dear patients to keep their “art forms” alive. You may get it printed and give as handouts to your patients or share this article link with them at the final appointment -

Instructions for Removable Dentures

1) Immerse- The artificial acrylic bodies have great chances of getting stained with food stuffs and plaque, and tartar associated problems including halitosis, stomatitis and even candidiasis are increased multifold. Hence, immediately after removing, the denture should first be cleaned with water and then immersed in water with a denture cleaning tablet dissolved. This step helps to remove debris from all around the denture surface even from areas of undercuts and fine fabrication loop holes where the brush cannot reach.

Do’s of the step-

• Use normal temperature water for soaking of the denture
• Use water enough so that the complete denture should get immersed into it.
• Follow the instruction manual for the time and dose of the denture cleaning tablet/solution.

2) Brush- Brushing is an important step even for denture cleaning, just like it is important for our natural teeth. Gentle brushing at least once a day, cleans off plaque from the remaining areas of the denture ,where it is still left behind after immersing.

Do’s of the step-

• Use specialised brushes that are especially designed for cleaning of dentures. If not available in your area, a soft cloth meant only for denture use can also be used.
• Use of non-abrasive pastes for prosthesis is highly recommended as our regular toothpastes have high abrasive index which wears off the acrylic.
• Use gentle strokes; harsh strokes of the brush may leave tiny scratches on the denture, which again act as areas of bacterial build up.

3) Wash- Once the thorough cleaning of the denture is ensured, now is the time for final wash of the denture. The dentures are held under running water to wash all the excess chemicals on the surface and then kept secured. Practising these basic steps keeps the denture healthy and hygienic to use. General washing of the dentures after every meal gives the ideal results. One can also use hand soaps for cleaning dentures, if specialized toothpastes and denture cleansers are not available. 4) Soaking- Once the above-mentioned steps are performed, the dentures are then stored in water; most of the dentures are required to be kept moist for retaining their shape. It is recommended that one can use mild denture soaking solution or even plain water can be used to store the denture overnight. Both should be kept in a clean container or box, meant only for dentures. 5) Oral care after removing denture- Once a person has a prosthesis, he has to understand that its just not the “organs” which have doubled, but also the maintenance of the structures that has also doubled. After removing the dentures, one has to clean the oral cavity and the associated structures. Use a soft bristled tooth brush for cleaning natural teeth in case of partial dentures and use gauze/ultra-soft bristles to clean soft tissues including tongue, cheeks, palate and floor of the mouth. Remove the denture adhesive if used, from the gums and the alveolus. Use of mouthwashes is ideal to prevent halitosis and stomatitis associated with prosthesis.

Say No To-

The following must be avoided -

• Harsh/Abrasive cleaning aids- Use of hard bristle tooth brushes, strong cleansers and abrasive toothpastes.
• Hot water- For cleaning of dentures, as well as soaking, one must make sure that the water is not hot, as hot water causes warping of dentures.
• Bleaching toothpastes and chemicals- A strict ‘no’ for the use of bleaching products for cleaning or whitening of the denture and aligners, as they tend to change colour of the prosthesis and also make them weak. Also, metal attachments to the denture tends to corrode due to the reaction with the bleaching agents.