Dentures can help restore your smile after you lose a tooth. You can also get them for more than one missing tooth — even the entire set! But as you’re adjusting to your prosthetic teeth, a few questions might pop up in your mind. Your dentist or orthodontist can guide you on whatever queries you have. Still, if you’re surfacing the web to get some answers, we’ll answer one for you. So keep reading to know, ‘Can you sleep with dentures?’
How Can Avoiding Dentures During Sleep Help?
Many people opt for dentures in Bakersfield, CA, to replace their missing teeth. Wearing dentures the first night you get them helps in quick recovery of your gums, as they act like a bandage. However, wearing your prosthetics daily overnight can actually be harmful to your oral health. Therefore, you can sleep with dentures, but that doesn’t mean you should. Or else you might have to deal with complications.
Here are some benefits of putting away your dentures for the night:
1. Preventing Bone Loss
Dentures help restore the look of your teeth, but they don’t provide the necessary stimulation for bone growth in your mouth. Moreover, since they sit on the gums, the pressure can irritate the bones. Consequently, bone resorption might occur faster than you think. Therefore, it is recommended not to sleep with dentures, as it can accelerate bone loss.
2. Maintaining a Tight Fit
Bone loss in teeth and gum resorption can alter the fit of your dentures, and they might become loose. This can increase the likelihood of your dentures slipping off. Furthermore, you might not get to enjoy a wide range of food!
3. Stopping Bacteria Growth
Bacteria can accumulate at the spot where your gums and dentures meet. Not only is it bad for your oral health, but you’ll notice bad morning breath too. Over time, the bacteria build-up can lead to gum disease. Thus, putting away your dentures before you sleep can be beneficial for your dental health.
4. Preventing Gum Inflammation
Gum disease and bone loss are not the only oral health issues that may arise if you continue to wear your dentures overnight. Your prosthetics can block saliva’s path since they negatively affect the saliva flow. Due to this blockage, you might develop denture stomatitis. Also known as thrush, a person gets yeast-infected red and swollen gums beneath the dentures in this condition.
Caring for Dentures at Night
Here are a few helpful tips you can use to care for your dentures at night before you sleep:
- Fill the sink with warm water before taking out your dentures. Then, roll a towel to put it at the sink’s edge, and place one on the floor if you’re worried about your dentures falling.
- Use warm water to gargle, as the warmth will help loosen the adhesive’s seal. By doing so, you’ll find it easier to take your dentures out.
- Now it’s time to start removing your dentures. Take out the bottom one first, followed by the top denture. You’ll need different approaches when dealing with different dentures, but your dentist can guide you better.
- Let the water run over the dentures to get rid of loose food particles.
- Take warm salt water to gargle. Next, wipe your gums and the roof of your mouth. Rinse with warm water again. In addition, you can use a soft toothbrush to clean your gums gently.
- Use water or a cleaning solution to soak the dentures. Alternatively, you can use fast-acting cleansers and put the dentures in water afterward.
- The following day, rinse the dentures with water before you put them back in your mouth.
What Should I Do?
Simply put, you should not sleep with dentures as it can put you at risk of multiple issues. Consult your dentist if you have any other queries or if you notice complications. Our Gateway Family Dentistry team is always happy to help. Give us a ring at (661) 829-7905.