Poorly maintained dentures can cause bad breath and gum disease as well as looking unattractive.

All-Plastic Dentures

1. Rinse denture after every meal and remove debris by brushing with a soft brush, soap, and water.

2. Soak denture in cold Steradent for 10 minutes in the evening. Rinse thoroughly and soak in cold water overnight.

Metal and Plastic Dentures

1. Rinse denture after every meal and remove debris by brushing with a soft brush, soap and cold water.

2. Soak the denture in "Steradent" for 15 minutes in the evening. Rinse the denture thoroughly and soak in cold water over night.

3. Do not use acid cleaners.

General Points

If you are embarrassed to leave your denture out at night, leave it out for as long as you can when you have privacy - perhaps when you're having a bath or if you are alone in the house for the evening. This allows saliva to wash over your gums and remove bacteria and dead cells.

Be careful not to drop soapy dentures on to a hard basin, where they might shatter. Metal dentures can bend easily if gripped too hard while brushing.

If you have your own teeth, be particularly careful to brush the areas that the denture rests against.