How to stop bad breath with dentures

Bad breath can be very uncomfortable, especially when you use dentures and just can’t tell whether the smell is coming from your mouth or the dentures. Particularly if you have an important meeting, hangout, or family dinner to attend.

The fact that dentures are false teeth doesn’t rule out bacteria and plaque growth. It does happen, and it’s one of the things that leads to bad breath with dentures.

What Causes Bad Breath With Dentures?

From the introduction, you’d find that the formation of plaques and bacteria growth play a major role in bad breath with dentures. With natural teeth, you are likely aware that bacteria and debris can accumulate, especially after meals, so a person with all natural teeth will pay strong attention to their oral hygiene, constantly brushing and whatnot.

Plaques are a thin film of bacteria that may form on your dentures and result in an unpleasant odour. Food particles can also get stuck beneath your dentures and cause these bacteria to grow. So basically, poor oral hygiene can get your dentures smelling bad.

On the other hand, bad breath with dentures may not be coming from your dentures themselves but from your mouth. There is a chance that an infection in your mouth may be causing it, regardless of whether you are wearing full or partial dentures.

Dry mouth can also lead to bad breath with dentures. As well as eating certain foods and smoking with your dentures.

Effective Ways to Stop Bad Breath

There are a few ways for you to tackle bad breath with dentures. The good news is that most of these solutions are relatively easy to fulfil at home.

Overnight Soaking

It is not advisable to sleep in your dentures. So, while you sleep, you can take out your dentures and soak them in a cup filled with a denture cleaning solution.

A denture cleaning solution cleans your dentures by removing 99.9% of germs as it removes stains or plaque left on your teeth. And since these plaques are a major cause of bad breath with dentures, overnight soaking will drastically reduce bad breath.

Brushing properly

False teeth do not rule out brushing because even though your dentures are made of acrylic or metal, they accumulate bacteria and debris just like natural teeth.

Regular toothpaste is abrasive and its use can scratch dentures and make them hard to clean. So you should use a soft bristle brush to clean the dentures, either with a denture cleaning solution, denture paste, or just water. Also, make sure to brush your gums and the roof of your mouth when dentures are out.

Drinking Water

Water lubricates the mouth, as a dry mouth may also lead to bad breath with dentures. Drinking water constantly helps to keep your mouth moist all day long.

Water may also rinse away any debris or food particles stuck between the crevices of your dentures. So, you could do well to drink water regularly and perhaps rinse your mouth with it after every meal.

Regular Dental Visits

In cases where bad breath is not caused by the dentures but by your mouth, you’ll need to go see a dentist. The dentists at Moorooka Dental Care will carefully examine your dentures and mouth to pinpoint the root cause and offer a solution.

You shouldn’t wait until you start experiencing bad breath to visit the dentist, though. You must form the habit of visiting the dentist every other month. That way, the dentist can tackle bad breath before it starts to embarrass you and limit your social gatherings.

How to Keep Dentures Clean

Whether or not you experience bad breath with dentures lies in the cleanliness of your false teeth. So you have to constantly keep your dentures clean. As bad breath is usually accompanied by a bad taste in dentures, you’ll want to take them out regularly, preferably before going to bed at night.

On that note, here’s how to keep your mouth clean with dentures.

• Take your dentures out during cleaning times.
• Using denture paste or mild dish soap, brush all over your dentures. Do this carefully so that you can get all the plaque and food particles out of the dentures.
• Always place a hand basin filled with water or a soft towel beneath your hands while you clean your dentures. This will serve as cushioning if your dentures ever slip out of your hands.
• Then rinse them with water.

Also, brush your gums and the roof of your mouth with a soft bristle brush and fluoride toothpaste. You could also use some of the best mouthwash for denture wearers to rinse your mouth throughout the day.

FAQs

1. Why Do I Have Bad Breaths With Dentures?

You may have bad breath with dentures as a result of plaque buildup or dry mouth. It could also result from an infection in your gums.

2. Why Do My Dentures Smell?

The buildup of bacteria and debris in your dentures can cause them to smell.

3. How Do I Make My Dentures Not Smell?

If you find that your dentures have a bad smell, you may need to up your cleaning game. Regularly brush them and soak them in a denture cleaning solution.

4. Do People With False Teeth Have Bad Breaths?

People with dentures can have bad breath if they do not implement proper denture cleaning methods. Just like natural teeth, dentures can cause bad breath.

5. How Often Do Dentures Need to Be Cleaned?

Ideally, dentures should be cleaned after every meal, but since that’s usually not possible, you should clean your dentures in the morning and at night before going to bed.

Conclusion

As soon as you implement the tips in this article, you can get back to socialising without the fear of bad breath with your dentures. However, if nothing seems to be working, a dentist will have to take a look. So, go ahead and schedule an appointment at Moorooka Dental Care for affordable dentistry.