Night Guard Instructions

A night guard can help to protect your teeth from the damaging effects of bruxism (grinding or clenching). It may also protect your jaw joints (TMJ) from the forces of bruxism and may reduce symptoms of jaw muscle tension. A benefit of wearing your night guard regularly is that it also acts as a retainer to keep your teeth from shifting; conversely, not wearing a night guard regularly may result in shifting of teeth and lead to the night guard eventually not fitting properly.

If this is your first time wearing a night guard, you may notice excessive saliva flow, but this should eventually go away. You may also have trouble falling asleep as it is something new in your mouth. It may help to put on your night guard at least 30 mins to an hour before your bedtime. If your night guard feels too tight or if your bite feels different in the morning, please let us know so that we can adjust your night guard. 

Instructions:

• Brush and floss before putting in the night guard.
• Remove your night guard in the morning by pushing down from the back area of the night guard, not the front.
• Every time you remove your night guard, rinse immediately after removal with cold water, not warm or hot.
• Weekly, especially if you see a white layer forming on the inside area, you can use hydrogen peroxide (soak for 10 minutes), an aligner cleaner such as EverSmile WhiteFoam Clear Retainer Cleaner or a denture cleaning tablet. You can also brush very gently (do not scrub hard) with a toothbrush that you only use to clean your night guard.
• Always store your night guard in its case. When your night guard is not in your mouth, keep it in its case to prevent misplacing it or accidentally throwing it away, which happens very frequently to many patients.
• Keep your night guard away from your pets (especially dogs) as they may chew on it.
• You may bring your night guard to your dental appointments for us to clean it professionally or if you have any issues with it.
• If you are getting any dental work done, please bring it with you to make sure that it fits properly after the procedure.

DENTURE OR PARTIAL CARE INSTRUCTIONS

Daily Cleaning

• Fill the sink with water or lay a soft towel down to protect your denture or partial from breaking if dropped.
• Rinse your denture or partial under warm water after each meal to remove loose food debris. Avoid excessively hot water as it may distort the denture and cause it to not fit properly.
• Brush your dentures daily with a soft tooth brush or soft denture brush.
• We recommend that you use a separate toothbrush to use on your denture or partial as the one you use on your teeth may be too abrasive due to wear on using it on your teeth.
• You can use warm water with liquid soap or denture paste. Regular toothpaste is too abrasive and can cause scratches in the acrylic.
• You may also use a Denture cleaning tablets and soak the denture or partial in water overnight. These help to remove light stains and loosen plaque buildup.  Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions as each brand may be different.
• After soaking, be sure to rinse thoroughly under warm water before re-inserting into mouth.

Caring For Mouth and Gum Tissues

• When not wearing your denture or partial, keep them submerged in water or denture solution.  Otherwise, the acrylic will dry out over time, causing them to not fit as well and become brittle.
• It is important to remove your denture or partials before you go to sleep at night, to allow your gum tissues to rest and breathe. This helps to avoid irritation, discomfort and infection of the soft tissue beneath your denture.
• While denture or partial is out of mouth, use a dampened washcloth or very soft toothbrush with warm water (or salt water solution) to clean the tissues inside of your mouth.  Be sure to wipe the ridges (where the denture sits), tongue, lips, cheeks, and roof of the mouth.  Rinsing daily with lukewarm salt water can help keep your gums clean.

When Mouth Becomes Sore or Irritated

• Sore spots in your mouth may occur if the denture or partial is putting too much pressure on a particular site. Sore spots may appear as a small red mark or wound on the gum tissues. If you experience this, you should contact us so that we can make the proper adjustments to relieve the pressure.
• Never try to adjust or repair your denture or partial yourself. You could easily damage them and negatively affect how they fit.
• To soothe your gum tissues, you should remove your dentures and rinse your mouth with warm saltwater.
• It is best to stop wearing your denture or partial while sore areas of the mouth are present. However, it may be helpful to re-insert them the morning of your appointment.  This way it may be easier for us to see where the sore spot is in your mouth, and determine which area of the denture or partial should be adjusted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use bleach to whiten my dentures? 
No. The bleach will whiten the pink acrylic portion of your denture and may damage them. 

Will my dentures ever need to be replaced? 
Most likely yes. Your gum tissue is in a constant state of change, and bone loss will occur over time. This will cause your dentures to become loose and ill-fitting. When this occurs, you may visit us to have them relined, or to fabricate new dentures.

What happens if my denture or partial breaks?
Never try to repair them yourself. Bring them to us to see if we can repair it. You may need to go without it for a few days while it is being repaired. If a denture tooth becomes loose or breaks off, we may be able to repair it, so make sure to bring it with you to your appointment.