Biotene Mouthwash & Denture Cleaners / Oral Care

Preventive care and maintenance of your teeth and gums can help reduce the risk of gum disease, tooth decay, and many other serious oral-related issues. Left untreated, these problems can cause serious infections which can spread to your blood, your brain, and other parts of your body. Here are a few quick guides that will help you to care for your oral health properly.

How to Remedy Dry Mouth

Many seniors take medications that can cause xerostomia, which is also referred to as dry mouth. Hundreds of prescription medications are known to cause dry mouth, and the more medicines you take, the more likely you are to suffer from dry mouth. OTC cold remedies, antidepressants, and antihistamines are just a few of the common medications that cause dry mouth. In addition, dry mouth can oftentimes come along as a side effect with certain medical conditions including diabetes, stroke, and yeast infection (thrush).

Symptoms of dry mouth include the following:

• A red, parched look around the mouth
• Difficulty eating or speaking
• Halitosis
• Burning sensation on the lips or tongue
• Trouble swallowing
• You start drinking more water during meals
• Stickiness around the lips.
• Saliva has a white tinge and is thicker than normal
• Your adhesive dentures have become loose and ill-fitting

If you are suffering from several of these symptoms, you most likely have dry mouth. If you believe you have severe dry mouth, regular use of a dry mouth spray or mouth moisturizer may be in order. You can also try using a saliva substitute or a dry mouth gel to replace natural saliva.

Here are some solutions for preventing or eradicating mild to moderate dry mouth and reducing symptoms of severe dry mouth. These dry mouth remedies are natural and easy solutions that work.

• Water: Sipping water brings a temporary, brief dry mouth relief.
• Drinks: Avoid acidic drinks and drinks with caffeine, because these dry out the mouth.
• Tobacco: Don’t chew or smoke tobacco; it is a catalyst for dry mouth.
• Inhalation: Breath through your nose as much as possible.
• Sugar-Free Candies & Gum: Candies and gum that is sugar-free contains xylitol. Therefore, sucking or chewing such candy or gum can help prevent or eradicate minor dry mouth.

Great products to relieve dry mouth include multiple types of mouth moisturizers, as well as the following:

• Mouthwash: During your tooth-brushing regimen, use an alcohol-free mouthwash that contains xylitol, which increases saliva production in the mouth, or, even better, use a mouthwash that is specifically designed for dry mouth, such as Biotene Mouthwash, for optimum release.
• Oral Rinse: If you need a quick but effective way to reduce dry mouth, try Biotene Dry Mouth Oral Rinse.
• Toothpaste: A dry mouth toothpaste is helpful in moisturizing the mouth, and also prevent cavities and strengthen the teeth.
• Humidifier: Since at night the mouth secretes less saliva, dry mouth can get worse at night. Also, sleeping with your mouth open can increase dry mouth. Use a humidifier to increase the humidity in your bedroom while you sleep.

Dry mouth often comes along with chapped lips. Chapped, bleeding lips are also quite common in the cold winter months, and they can hurt. You can prevent your lips from bleeding or allow them to heal naturally by applying Vaseline, Blistex or a different lip balm.

Lip protectant and/or mouth moisturizer should ideally be applied as soon as you notice or feel that your lips or mouth are beginning to dry out.

Adhesive Dentures & Dry Mouth

Adhesive dentures don’t cause dry mouth, but can make it worse, and lead to oral infection. To prevent this, if possible, change to wearing implant dentures which don’t exacerbate xerostomia to such an extent.

Denture Care

How to Care for Your Dentures

Caring for your dentures is not very complicated, you just need to be aware of how to do it.

Inserting Dentures:

1. Before placing your dentures inside your mouth, brush your tongue, palate, any natural teeth, and your gums gently with a toothbrush.
2. Rinse and then dry your dentures thoroughly.
3. First, if needed, apply a secure denture adhesive, such as one from Sea Bond, Poligrip or Fixodent, to your upper denture. Using a denture glue from a reputable brand, or using one that is known to work well, is an important step in ensuring that your denture stays securely in place.

• The adhesive should be used as sparingly as possible. Start with using a small amount, and if you see it’s not enough, try using a bit more each time you put on your denture until you reach the right amount.
• Take care not to apply denture glue too close to the edges of your denture. If glue touches the end of your denture, use less adhesive next time.
• If you use a classic nozzle, apply the product in short strips on the area that will touch your palate to ensure a strong hold.
• If you use a thin nozzle, apply the denture glue in continuous lines.

4. Now, insert the top denture: Open your mouth wide, and angle the denture to get it in the mouth. Press the denture gently onto your palate, and then hold it firmly in place for 5 seconds.
5. For your bottom denture, just press it firmly into place, right onto your lower gums. Then, bite down gently for a few seconds to secure the hold.

Cleaning Dentures:

1. After eating, take off your dentures, and hold one of them under your sink faucet. Let water stream over them and wash away food particles. Be careful not to bend any parts of the denture while you hold it.
2. Before going to bed, dentures should be brushed with a denture brush, and then soaked with denture cleaner overnight.
3. If you wear adhesive dentures, take care to remove any remaining adhesive from your dentures.

General Denture Care Tips:

• Whenever you need to hold your dentures, do it as carefully as you can so that they don’t fall and break.
• Dentures should not be worn to sleep.
• Whitening fluorides and toothpastes, hot water, and strong, abrasive cleansers, such as a stiff toothbrush, are damaging to your dentures, and should not ever come in contact with them.
• Always be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions on cleaning, care and soaking solutions.
• If your dentures don’t seem to be fitting properly, schedule a visit at your dentist at the earliest possible date.
• It’s important to visit your dentist 2 or 3 days after you began wearing dentures, and then again a week or two later, so that your dentist can adjust your dentures to the right fit for you. Attempting to adjust your dentures on your own is not the best idea, no matter how handy you are in other areas. Adjusting dentures is a craft that should only be done by a professional. If you believe your dentures require adjusting, bring them to your dentist.

How Long Does it Take to Get Used to Dentures?

The first few weeks after you begin wearing your dentures, you may feel that there is more saliva in your mouth than usual, and chewing may feel different. You may also bite your tongue, lip or cheek more often than previously, and find yourself gagging sometimes. This is normal. The accidental biting, gagging, and the increased amount of saliva will subside over time, and you’ll get used to the feel of chewing with your new teeth.

If you’re finding foods to be difficult to chew, stick with soft food until you get more used to eating with dentures.

Wearing dentures is something that takes time to get used to, much like the adjustment period for braces. The first few weeks, and possibly even the first month or two, some discomfort or irritation is more likely than not.

Dentures need time to adjust to the form of your gums. Wear them as often as possible for the first couple of weeks, to allow your dentures to adjust properly and quickly, and to figure out if any areas of the gums are sore from the pressure of the denture pressing in on it.

Oral Hygiene: How to Care for Your Teeth & Gums

1. Brush properly twice a day.

Brushing your teeth properly with a good toothbrush before rushing out to work and at bedtime is imperative. It prevents plaques from forming on your teeth, and those plaques can turn into cavities. Brush in front, behind, and on top of your teeth, and then brush your tongue and your gums very softly, with a gentle circular motion. Stick with toothpaste from a brand with a good name, such as Crest or Colgate. Brushing your teeth should take two minutes in total.

2. Floss well.

Flossing is a very important part when it comes to caring for your teeth because it removes debris from between your teeth that your toothbrush may not reach. Flossing is an easy way to prevent cavities from forming between the teeth. It can be done just once a day. For an even more thorough flossing than dental floss will afford you, you can use a Waterpik Water Flosser. Recommended by many dentists, this water flosser cleans between the teeth, massages the gums, and gets to the hard-to-reach spots relatively easily.

3. Use mouthwash.

Some mouthwashes, including many from Listerine & Biotene, have been proven to prevent or reduce plaque, gingivitis, and tartar, thereby preventing cavities from forming. Other mouthwashes will even help to whiten discolored teeth. Like flossing, rinsing with mouthwash should be performed at least once a day. An added benefit of using mouthwash is that it eliminates halitosis (bad breath).

4. Schedule regular dental appointments.

Most dentists recommend that adults should come in for a checkup every six months. This helps dentists to pick up on cavities when they’re still moderately sized and relatively easy to fix.

If you need any oral care items after you visit the dentist, or at any other time, for that matter, come visit AvaCare Medical. You’ll find the best denture adhesives, mouthwashes, lip balm s, and so many other items, all at reasonable prices.