Products for Maintaining Dentures

There are a variety of products on the market to aid the denture wearer. Some are available from your denturist and others can be purchased at the drug store. When you receive your new dentures, your denturist will usually provide a complimentary denture brush and denture bath.

Denture brush – This brush has longer bristles at one end than in a regular toothbrush. These bristles are able to reach into the deeper parts of your denture.

Denture bath (cup) – This cup comes in various shapes, sizes and colors. It ranges from a plain rubber cup with an attached lid to one that holds a basket from which to extract your dentures without wetting your fingers. All denture baths or cups serve the same purpose: to store your dentures wet when they are not being worn.

Denture cleaners – Several brands, such as Polident and Efferdent, are sold for the purpose of cleaning your dentures while they soak. Two of the finest cleaners, Nudent and Renew; are available from your denturist. (Note: Mild soap, such as dish detergent, will also work well when you brush with it. Experiment and you will find the cleaning method that works best for you. Following any cleaning, be sure to rinse well with clean water.)

Ultrasonic cleaner – This is a small unit that cleans your dentures with thousands of minute cleansing bubbles vibrating at a very high electrical frequency. When the vibration speed rises above the ultrasonic frequency level, the bubbles explode and generate strong power, cleaning the surfaces and cavities of hard-to-reach areas.

A convenient, compact unit is the Alltra Bath sonic cleaner available from drug stores. Excellent, slightly more expensive, larger units are available through local dental suppliers.

Other drug store products include:

• denture cushions such as Sea-Bond, Snug, and Ezo
  
  
• adhesive powders and creams such as Poligrip and Fixodent
  
  
• Amosan by Oral-B (an antiseptic rinse for gum disease, cankers, extractions and other minor mouth irritations)
  
  
• Orajel, an anaesthetic formula for dental pain relief

NOTES:

You may wish to consider having your dentures relined before you become dependent on denture cushions and adhesive powders. Formulas such as Orajel should also be used only temporarily – you should have the denture that is causing pain adjusted without delay.