Experts Weigh in: Do Partial Dentures Need to Be Removed at Night?

What Are Partial Dentures?

They are dentures that replace multiple missing teeth in a row. However, unlike traditional complete dentures in Highland Village, TX, partial dentures replace a few teeth. Therefore, you need to have existing natural teeth in your jawbone. In contrast, a dentist must extract all your remaining natural teeth before installing complete dentures. Therefore, partials offer patients an alternative to retain their natural teeth and replace only the missing ones.

Partial dentures can either be permanent or removable. The main difference is that permanent partials require dental implants to attach and secure them to the jawbone, while removable ones do not.

How Many Teeth Can Partial Dentures Replace?

Partial dentures are ideal for replacing four or more multiple missing teeth, with no upper limit. However, if you are toothless, complete dentures are a better fit. Another condition for partial dentures is that the loss of teeth must be sequential. If the lost teeth are far apart, your dentist will recommend dental bridges or implants if you are unwilling to undergo tooth extraction for partials.

How to Care for Your Dentures

After getting dentures, you will soon realize they are not exactly like natural teeth. Permanent fixed dentures feel and function more like natural teeth than removable ones. However, both options are incomparable to real teeth. Therefore, it helps if you have a few basics on how to care for your dentures after treatments. Some tips include:

1. Clean your dentures – usually, you have to remove your dentures to clean them. However, if you have fixed dentures, you have to brush them in your mouth as your natural teeth. Use a small amount of hand soap and mild dishwashing liquid if you do not have a denture cleanser specifically made for cleaning dentures.
2. Soak dentures in a denture-soaking solution overnight when you remove them – it keeps them moist and free from bacteria. However, be careful to rinse them thoroughly before wearing them again.
3. Avoid hard and crunchy foods – they are tough to chew, placing unnecessary pressure on your teeth.
4. Take small bites and cut your food into little pieces.
5. Seek treatment for bruxism – a condition featuring excessive teeth grinding at night. The grinding tires your jaws and weakens your natural and artificial teeth.

Should You Sleep with Partial Dentures in Your Mouth?

The question of, do partial dentures need to be removed at night, is relative to different cases. At Campbell & Williams Family Dental, we recommend removing partial dentures when you go to sleep to avoid potential oral complications at night. Besides, your gums and jaw need to rest after wearing artificial teeth all day.

Still, sleeping with dentures is mandatory only when you have fixed dentures. However, you can conveniently remove your removable dentures at night.

Further, you may have to sleep with your dentures when your dentist in Highland Village recommends it. It usually happens when you first get your dentures. The dentist recommends keeping them on all the time for the first few days after treatment. The goal is to get used to the feeling of wearing dentures while learning to function with your new teeth. It also acts as a template for your gums to mold into a similar shape to the denture. However, it is not a permanent restriction for removable dentures.

Tips for Sleeping with Dentures

Since sleeping with dentures is novel, you need as many tips as possible to help you adjust accordingly. Some of them include the following:

1. Sleep with your head slightly elevated – the extra head support reduces the risk of breathing complications with your dentures.
2. Clean your dentures before sleeping – ensure they do not trap food debris or bacteria that can sit in your mouth overnight.
3. Gargle warm water to rinse your mouth and keep your dentures clean. Saltwater is also great for killing active bacteria in your mouth.
4. Take the pain and anti-inflammatory medication – your dentist should prescribe the medication where necessary. They help manage your discomfort, especially if you have had a tooth extraction recently.
5. Only sleep with your dentures for about 3 days unless your dentist recommends otherwise.