What Should I Do If…?

If you see sores, try dabbing milk of magnesia to relieve pain.

If the sores do not go away, make an urgent dental appointment. A dentist will evaluate the area and decide what treatment is necessary.

Make a dental appointment. A dentist should assess the lesion and determine treatment.

Make a dental appointment. A dentist should assess the cause(s) of soreness and provide alternative solutions.

Make a dental appointment. A dentist will evaluate the teeth and decide what type of treatment is needed. Meanwhile, continue to brush. If a tooth is sensitive, brush gently and use warm water.

Make a dental appointment. A dentist will evaluate and decide what type of treatment is needed. Meanwhile, keep brushing. If a tooth is sensitive, brush gently and use warm water.

Make a dental appointment. A dentist will assess the cause(s) of redness (yellow arrows) and identify solutions.
Redness is noticed at areas where skin is touching the denture. This redness looks different from the usual pink color of health skin that is not covered by the denture.

For temporary relief, consider switching to a soft food diet and avoid using the dentures until seen by a provider.

Make a dental appointment. A dentist will evaluate the damage and decide whether the denture should be repaired or replaced.
If denture causes soreness, avoid using it to prevent injuries.

Some stains (blue arrow) may be removed by bubbling denture cleansers.

If the stain cannot be removed using the denture cleansers and brushing, arrange for a dental appointment to have the denture professionally cleaned.

DO NOT use any stain remover or other products that are not intended to be used on the denture. They can severely damage the denture and hurt the patient.

If a hard deposit (tartar) over a denture surface cannot be removed using a denture brush, make a dental appointment to have it removed through professional cleaning.

DO NOT try to scrape the deposit away using hard objects. Hard objects can scratch the denture surface, making it harder to clean and easier to be stained or gain new hard deposits.

Make a dental appointment. A dentist will assess the cause(s) of the looseness and provide alternatives to improve denture retention.

Treatments providers may consider are:

• Relining the denture base. See Removing and Inserting Dentures
• Using denture adhesives.

If denture adhesives are used, please make sure that:

• The right amount is used (3 or 4 pea-sized dollops on each denture).
• Denture adhesives are completely removed from the  dentures and mouth on a daily basis.
• If increasing adhesive amounts are required, a dentist should reassess denture fit and stability.

Make a dental appointment. A dentist will evaluate the teeth and decide what type of treatment is needed.
Meanwhile, brush with warm water. Cold water can trigger tenderness due to receding gums (yellow arrows).

Avoid using a whitening toothpaste, as this can increase tooth sensitivity.

Keep brushing. See Brushing Teeth for brushing help. Bleeding is usually caused by poor brushing and plaque accumulation, which leads to gum inflammation (yellow arrows) and bleeding.

Try using a soft-tip bristle toothbrush. For those who have arthritis, consider using a soft bristle on an electric toothbrush.

If it doesn’t stop in a couple days, make a dental appointment. A dentist will evaluate the teeth and decide what type of treatment is needed.

To promote autonomy, encourage the person to perform self-oral hygiene care as much as possible.

If their oral hygiene is not good enough, try the following:

• Start cleaning the person’s mouth, or brushing their teeth or denture, and let the person complete it. This is called Chaining.
• Place your hand over the person’s hand and guide the cleaning or brushing. This action is called hand over hand.

If denture hygiene is still not effective, utilize the following methods:

• Brush the person’s teeth at least once a day, preferably before bed
• Brush dentures at night after the person falls asleep
• Gently clean the person’s mouth at night after they fall asleep
• Continue to encourage the person to perform oral hygiene during the day

Tips:

1. Explain how important cleaning the teeth or denture is for health.
2. If the person has dementia, try to brush teeth or dentures at different times. Look for a time when the person would be more cooperative.
3. Dentures may be removed and cleaned after the person falls asleep.
4. Try a different caregiver. The person may be more cooperative with specific caregivers.

See Most Common Challenging Responses section of this app for more information on this topic.