Oral Skin and Gums
Healthy Oral Skin
Oral skin should have a pink, moist, smooth, and uniform appearance. Maintain oral skin by cleaning every day to avoid build up of food and debris and possible aspiration. Assisting persons to clean their mouth or dentures once a day can help them keep cleaner dentures and healthier mouths.Cleaning Gums & Oral Skin
Skin and tissues touching the dentures should also be cleaned when dentures are removed.
- Always use gloves
- Wrap a piece of wet gauze around your finger
- Thoroughly wipe out any plaque build up or food debris from the gums
- Wrap a piece of gauze around a tongue depressor instead of using your finger
- Replace the gauze frequently
Tongue Cleaning
Tongue cleaning should be done once per day to reduce bad breath. Keep in mind, some individuals may not tolerate tongue cleaning due to a strong gag reflex.
End
