Advice on gum soreness!

Were you evaluated for a reline of your dentures? I wonder why they are advocating using adhesives. A good fitting denture probably does not need it. As for cleaning your dentures- here is what I do- I brush them every day with plain old dish soap. I soak them overnight in a comercial denture cleaning solution. I do not use adhesives unless I need extra security such as swiming in the ocean or that sort of activity but for daily wear I do not use it.

I am wondering how long you are wearing your dentures between cleanings? Are you removing them daily to clean and rinse your mouth. If not, maybe food debris is getting between your dentures and your gums and when you remove them your gums are relieved of the pressure and feel sore. In fact they might be telling you something else.

There is always the possibility that whatever agent you are using to clean them is causing irritation as was previously mentioned. Like the other poster, I use dish soap to scrub mine and soak over night in a commercial denture cleanser. I also use a soft brush on my gums every day.

If you are experiencing soreness only (or primarily) after you clean your dentures, I suspect the problem is that you are having some kind of reaction to whatever you clean your dentures with.  I suggest that you switch or eliminate denture cleaning products.  I have found that an extremely effective and gentle way to clean dentures is to brush them with (and, sometimes, to soak them in) antimicrobial dish washing liquid (and, obviously, rinse them off really well afterwards).  My favorite is Joy, but I know of other people who use Palmolive for this purpose.  For stains, you can mix up the regular cleaning solution (my favorite is a product called Stain Away) but use only enough of it to submerge only the teeth part of your dentures (leaving the gum part of your dentures out of the solution completely).  In this connection, I use a small pyrex/glass dish (so I can see that only the teeth part is covered) and fill it with approximately one-quarter of an inch of solution.  Also, after using any cleaning solution, you should rinse your dentures very well, brush them with dish washing liquid, and rinse very well again.

I think your dentist is assuming that your gums are reacting to the adhesive that you use rather than the cleaner that you use.  This might not be the case, especially if you experience soreness after cleaning.  You should tell you dentist that he or she will need to do some work on the fit of your dentures if he or she expects you to function without adhesive.

I agree with Karen that salt water rinses will help with gum soreness.  I also really like a product called Rincinol (made by a company called SunStar and available at Walgreens as well as online).  A few swishes with this product (especially when my teeth are resting at night) really does the trick for me.

I'm Karen, the Fixodent Community Manager.  I know it must be frustrating to experience gum soreness after having had your dentures for almost a year.  Try rinsing your mouth with warm salt water for relief.  If the soreness continues, be sure to mention this to your dentist.  It could be that an adjustment to your dentures will relieve the soreness.

^Karen