How to Clean Dentures

Getting dentures is a step in patients’ lifelong journey of oral care which requires them to make some changes in their hygiene habits. The changes are not difficult, but they are important, so we wanted to provide some guidance.

Any denture that is removable needs to be taken out on a nightly basis, regardless of whether it is supported by implants. But the denture must not be allowed to dry out, either. Because heat can warp it, a denture needs to be kept in room-temperature water or cleaning solution. It is wise to hold the denture over a towel while transferring it between the mouth and its container because if it does break or bend, it should only be fixed by a professional.

Dentures do not have the protective membranes of natural teeth and can be scratched by the minerals in ordinary toothpaste. The American Dental Association recommends specialty toothpastes for use on dentures, and patients should only brush them with a brush that has soft bristles (although this is true of their natural teeth, as well). The entire denture should be brushed, not just the parts which look like teeth. Patients should also brush their gums before putting their dentures back in to stimulate blood flow and prevent oral infections.

Lis Bradley, DDS, operates at 8112 Isabella Ln, Suite 101, Brentwood, Tennessee. To schedule an appointment, visit LisBradleyDDS.com or call 615-778-0810.

 

Beware of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

At Dr. Bradley’s Brentwood practice, we’re dedicated to educating our patients about the importance of preventive care. First-time parents of young children are often eager to learn all they can about how to maintain their children’s oral health, and one of the main things they need to watch out for is Baby Bottle Tooth Decay.

Dentists use the term Baby Bottle Tooth Decay to describe a pattern of tooth decay on the fronts of babies’ incisors. It is caused by prolonged exposure to sugar. While many people understand that sugar increases the risk of tooth decay and avoid giving babies sugary drinks such as juice because of this, small amounts of sugar can also be dangerous if they are allowed to stick to the teeth for a long time. Babies often are given bottles of milk or formula to drink from for hours, during which they’re not drinking water, and their teeth remain covered in sugar as a result.

Caregivers should take away milk bottles after about fifteen minutes and make sure babies have plenty of water to rinse their mouths with. Dentists and nutritionists agree that it is best for children to transfer to cups around the time of their first birthday, and only after that should they be given drinks with higher amounts of sugar.

Lis Bradley, DDS, operates at 8112 Isabella Ln, Suite 101, Brentwood, Tennessee. To schedule an appointment, visit LisBradleyDDS.com or call 615-778-0810.

Types of Teeth

While all teeth need to be cared for through regular brushing and flossing, teeth serve a number of different purposes and can encounter different problems. We at Dr. Lis Bradley’s Brentwood office thought our patients might like knowing exactly what their teeth are doing and what we do for them.

Each jaw naturally has sixteen teeth, although most people have had at least a few of them extracted without replacements by the time they are adults. The two front teeth in each jaw and the pair on either side of them are called incisors. They are used to tear food and because people use them to form consonants, they are crucial to speech. On each side of the incisors are canines, also known as cuspids or eyeteeth, of which there are four in all. These pointy teeth are used for piercing. They occupy the point of maximum change of curvature in the jaw and are important for stabilizing the other teeth, but the upper ones commonly get stuck while erupting.

Behind the canines are two sets of premolars, and beyond them are three sets of molars. These are the large teeth used for chewing. The molars in the lower jaw often have two roots, and the ones in the upper jaw often have three. The backmost molars are known as wisdom teeth. They are the final teeth to erupt and also frequently get stuck.

Lis Bradley, DDS, operates at 8112 Isabella Ln, Suite 101, Brentwood, Tennessee. To schedule an appointment, visit LisBradleyDDS.com or call 615-778-0810.