2 Tips For Keeping Your Removable Dentures Clean During Pregnancy

On a normal day, your removable dentures can be a second home for bacteria in your mouth. During pregnancy, the chances of this happening increase significantly. This happens because the hormones in your body are changing rapidly. As a result, this creates an environment where your mouth is unable to fight off all of the bacteria before it grows. This is also another reason why gum disease is common during pregnancy. Dentures that are poorly maintained can lead to a number of dental issues for you once you have had your baby. Therefore, it is important to take additional steps to ensure that your dentures remain clean during pregnancy. Luckily, there are a few tips that you can use to ensure that this happens.

Remove Your Dentures At Night

Removable dentures can often result in a bacterial infection if they are left in at night. This problem often becomes worse if you wear them overnight while you are pregnant. Removing the dentures before you go to bed gives your mouth a chance to breathe. It also prevents the dentures from exerting unneeded pressure on your gums while you sleep. You can keep your dentures clean by placing them in an antibacterial rinse when you don't need them. Once you wake up in the morning, just rinse the dentures with warm water and reapply them to your mouth.

Cleanse Your Mouth Immediately After Eating

Food and bacteria can easily become stuck underneath your dentures. If your dentures are not removed for hours, then this allows the bacteria to grow underneath your dentures. To prevent this, cleanse your mouth immediately after meals. This is especially important during your pregnancy. It can be easy to overlook dental habits because of fatigue or morning sickness; however, keeping your mouth clean after eating will also keep your dentures clean. If you cannot brush your teeth, then you can create a home dental rinse using salt and warm water. Allow the salt to dissolve in the water, then use the rinse to clean your dentures and your gums separately. It is important to remove your dentures when using the rinse to clean your entire mouth. Hold the rinse in your mouth for a few minutes before spitting it out.

Keeping your dentures clean during your pregnancy can be difficult. However, the added effort that you put into your dental care routine will show in healthy teeth. For more information about this topic, contact a company like Hart Dayton DMD.