Yesterday I had 15 teeth pulled and the new dentures put in (full upper plate). I am of course in some pain but my dentist did not tell me to much of anything. He said to leave the dentures in 24 hours but I do not know how to clean them and I feel like everytime I drink anything it is going under the plate. Is this going to mess with the holes in my gums where the teeth were extracted how long can I leave the dentures out and will I have problems getting them back in and how do I clean them? Any information would be helpful as my dentist is closed until Monday.
3. Reply to New to dentures by whitewolf218
Posted: May 11, 2012 9:53 pm
Listen to the advice offered by Ihaveagreatdentist. They are right on. The important thing to remember is not to leave your plate out too long as it acts sort of like a compression bandage for a sprained ankle. Leaving your plate out will let your gums swell and then it will be very difficult and painful to put them back in.Its scary to take them out but the instructions in the post by Ihaveagreatdentist was perfect.
Take your pain pills and go see that dentist first thing Monday and tell him/her it was unprofessional to not give you some guidance.Let us know how you are.
2. Reply to New to dentures by whitewolf218
Posted: May 11, 2012 9:11 pm
I agree with Karen that you need input from your dentist. In fact, if I were you, I would plan on paying a visit to your dentist first thing Monday morning so that you can learn how to deal with your denture. I would also let your dentist know that it was not very nice or very professional of him or her to have assumed that you would know how to deal with your denture without his or her instruction.
Now, here's what you should do for the weekend. If you are really panicked (and I can understand if you are), see if you can find a dental clinic that is open over the weekend or go to an emergency room and ask them to help you remove and clean your denture for the first time. If you are calm enough (and I know that the first few times it is really scary), do the following: (1) put a washcloth in the bottom of your bathroom sink and then fill your bathroom sink about one-third or one-half full of warm (but not hot) water (so that if you drop your denture in trying to remove it, wash it or put it back, it will not break and, in fact, will float in the water; (2) standing in front of your bathroom sink with the washcloth and the water in it, put your thumb on one side of your denture toward the back and your forefinger on the other side of your denture toward the back and pull down gently to remove your denture; (2) let the water out of the sink but leave the washcloth in the sink and hold your denture under warm (but not hot) water for a little while and, then, put it in some warm (but not hot) water in a case or a small dish while you rinse your mouth with warm water with a little salt added; and (3) put your denture right back in your mouth after rinsing it under warm water again. After the first time, you can brush your denture very gently with a very soft toothbrush and some dish wash detergent as long as you rinse it off very well under runing water before putting it back in your mouth. If you don't leave your denture out of your mouth for very long, I don't think you will have trouble getting it back in your mouth.
If you can't do any of what I suggest above, just leave your denture in your mouth and rinse your mouth (with your denture in) periodically throughout the day. Although not ideal, I don't think that this will harm your extraction sites. Whatever you do, don't take your denture out for a long period of time. If you do, your gums will swell and you will have trouble putting your denture back in.
Good luck (and let us know how you do).
1. Reply to New to dentures by whitewolf218
Posted: May 11, 2012 3:32 pm
I'm Karen, the Fixodent Community Manager. When your dentist advises it's okay to clean your dentures, drop one Fixodent denture cleanser tablet in enough warm water to cover your denture. Place your denture in the solution for 15 minutes. Dentures can also be soaked overnight, but since your teeth were just extracted yesterday, please verify this with your dentist first. After soaking your denture, rinse thoroughly with running water, pour out the solution, and wash your hands. You can also find this information on the link below.
http://www.dentureliving.com/fixodent-denture-products/how-to-use-fixodent-denture-cleanser
After the weekend, be sure to contact your dentist for answers to your questions. Here are some additional questions you may want to ask:
How should I take care of my mouth?
How often should I visit the dentist now that I have dentures?
Should I use a denture adhesive?
How much denture adhesive should I use?
I hope this helps!
^Karen
