Your dentures work hard all day and deserve to get a good night’s rest just like you. Removing your dentures and cleaning them every night helps keep your dentures clean and bacteria-free too. Taking your dentures out for the night means you’re less likely to get denture sores and feel discomfort. So how do you remove your dentures? We’re here to help you out with our step-by-step guides.
How to Remove Full Dentures: A Step-by-Step Guide
Need to remove a complete set of dentures? Follow these steps.
- Get prepared. Fill up the sink with warm water and roll up a towel and place it on the edge, and another on the floor, so if you drop your dentures they won’t break.
- Gargle with warm water. This will help loosen the seal from your denture adhesive, so it’s easier to take your dentures out.
- Take out the bottom denture. To remove your bottom set, hold the middle part between your thumb and middle finger, and gently loosen the denture with a back and forth motion. When you feel the denture start to come away, gently pull up and out.
- Take out the top denture. Although the top denture may be a little trickier to remove, repeat the motions as with the bottom denture, and when you feel the denture release, push up and outwards, taking care not to hurt your gums.
- Rinse off your denture with water.
- Brush your denture with a denture brush or soft regular toothbrush. You can use water, denture paste or non-abrasive toothpaste.
- Get rid of adhesive residues in your mouth. Gargle with warm salt water and use a clean washcloth to wipe along your gums and the roof of your mouth. Rinse your mouth again afterward. You can also brush your gums with a very soft toothbrush.
- Soak your dentures overnight in a denture cleaning solution or water. Follow the instructions on the pack. If you have a partial, use a solution designed for partial dentures.
- In the morning rinse well your denture with water prior inserting it in your mouth.
Are you a visual person and need to see how it’s done? Then check out our help video.
How to Remove Partial Dentures with Clasps: A Step by Step guide
Partial dentures only reside in a part of your mouth where there’s a gap between your teeth. Some partials have clasps to hold them in place. Here’s how you can remove partial dentures.
- Lift the clasps. To remove the partial denture, lift the clasps on both sides of the denture at the same time. Place one finger at the base of each clasp and pull up or down depending on the position.
- Slide the partial out. Once you’ve unclasped the partial denture, you can slide the partial out from its position.
- Clean the partial. Rinse off your denture with water. Use a denture brush to clean the denture daily. Use water, non-abrasive toothpaste or denture cream to brush the entire denture. Make sure you do it over a basin of water or a towel to avoid breaking the denture if you accidentally drop it.
- Soak your dentures overnight in a denture cleaning solution or water. Follow the manufacturer instructions on the pack of the denture cleanser. If you have a partial denture use cleaning solution designed for partial dentures.
- In the morning rinse well your denture with water prior inserting it in your mouth
Your dentist may give you immediate dentures following tooth extraction. You will need to keep the denture in until the morning following the extraction, but once it’s time to do so, here’s how to remove immediate dentures for the first time.
- Wash your hands. Your mouth is most likely still sensitive after the extraction, and it’s a good idea to avoid any bacteria.
- Remove the denture with both hands. Remove your immediate denture as you would with a standard denture, take it out carefully without scratching your gums.
Immediate dentures are not too dissimilar to regular dentures, except you may be a little sore from the extraction for a few days.
How to Remove Dentures That Are Stuck
If you’re worried about your dentures getting stuck, don’t worry, you can get your dentures out with these steps without hurting yourself.
- Break the vacuum between the denture and your gums. One of the main reasons it may be difficult to remove your dentures is if they get stuck between the gums. You will need to break the vacuum by placing both index fingers at the back of the dentures by the sides of your cheeks. Pull the dentures downwards on the top jaw, or upwards on the bottom jaw.
- Do not try to remove the denture from the front. The impact of the vacuum is strongest here and any force applied can bruise your gums.
- Rinse your mouth out with warm water. If you’ve used too much adhesive, you can use warm water to loosen the denture, so it’s easier to remove.
When using denture adhesive, it’s important not to use too much, because this can make it harder to remove your dentures.
Cleaning Your Dentures After Removal
Once you’ve removed your dentures, it’s essential to clean them. Learn more about how to clean dentures and how to remove stains from dentures, if you see any stains you’d like to get rid of as well. Make sure you put your dentures in clean water or cleaning solution overnight to keep them hydrated.
It takes a little time to get used to dentures, and that includes taking them out for the night and soaking them. The good news is practice makes perfect, and you’ll get the hang of it in no time!
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