DenturePoint instructions on how to look after your mouthguard and/or nightguard

DenturePoint instructions on how to look after your mouthguard and/or nightguard.

First things first: 
What is a difference between a mouthguard and a nightguard?
A mouthguard also known as a sportsguard is an important piece of equipment for safeguarding your teeth - protecting them from breaking or chipping. It will also prevent damage to the soft tissue of the jaw.
A nightguard - is a dental protector for night time teeth grinding and clenching. Teeth grinding is also known as bruxism.

Keeping your mouthguard and nightguard clean is essential.

If you don't give your mouthpiece proper attention, it won't take long for it to become unhygienic, quite smelly and unsightly. If you take a proper care, on the other hand, it will last you a lot longer.

Here is a list of DO's and DON'T's that will ensure your guard's peak performance.

1. Rinse it off with water.
   Always clean your appliance after every time you wear it.  If you have no time to scrub it just rinse it off with tap water after every use. Dental plaque and debris may accumulate during prolong wear.
2. Scrub it.
   Scrub it with a bit of toothpaste and your toothbrush on regular basis, ideally after every use.
3. Keep it dry.
   After scrubbing let it dry out thoroughly. If you don't, it can become an active breeding ground for bacteria.
4. Soak it.
   A number of manufacturers make products for cleaning dentures and orthodontic retainers which produce an effervescent effect and through bubbling the appliances get cleaned. You can use those products for your mouthguards and nightguards once a month for a more thorough clean.
5. Maintain it.
   Keep it in a hard ventilated case when not used. The hardness of the case will protect it from physical damage and the ventilation holes will allow it to dry out thoroughly between each use.

OTHER:

• Keep it away from heat - do not allow your guard to sit in direct sunlight or be immersed in very hot water.
• Do not chew on your guard - this is a bad habit . Damage through chewing may compromise the level of protection the guard should provide.
• Do not make any changes yourself. If it’s uncomfortable please take it back to your dental prosthetist and they will fix it for you at no charge.
• Do not drink any coloured drinks such as Cola or tea while wearing your guard. Do not smoke. Those activities may stain your guard. Also any sugary drinks and foods should be avoided or you will be exposing your teeth to an increased risk of cavities.
• And last but not least: keep your guard away from your dog. The dogs get attracted by the smell of your guard and if left within their reach they will instantly change it into an expensive chew toy.

WHEN TO GET A NEW GUARD?

• Please inspect your mouthguard and nightguard regularly. If you discover any unwanted changes you might need to have a new one made. They should be replaced annually but children with a mixed dentition - teeth still growing - might need a replacement more often. A custom made and fit mouthguard should stay snug and secure around your teeth.
  The general rule of thumb is that if it's not sitting in your mouth securely, it's not protecting you.
• For nightguards we recommend a replacement every 3-5 months depending on how heavy a night grinder you are.

REMEMBER: Cleaning your nightguard or mouthguard should never be neglected! Keeping bacteria and fungi from growing on your dental appliances will also keep them from entering your body and affecting your health!

Basic Step by Step for a Broken Denture

Do not make the mistake of waiting to have your dentures repaired!

Even if it’s just a loosened part or hairline crack in your denture, do not brush it aside as a small issue. Many denture wearers ignore or delay smaller repair works only to find the damage become more difficult – and expensive – to fix later on.

Resist the temptation to fix your denture yourself with the help of a DIY kit. It is important to understand that most commercial glues are not effective or safe to use to repair dentures. The way we repair dentures is to remove a small section of the denture base material and reapply a new section. The acrylic that your denture is made from bonds readily to itself, but commercially available glues are not effective or safe to use in your mouth.

 Step by step for a broken denture

1. First of all - don’t panic!

2. Collect all the pieces and check if they go back together.

3. Put all the pieces in a plastic bag.

4. Call DenturePoint on 0400919513 and tell us how the denture broke.

5. We will then arrange the time for a pick up and look after the rest making sure you are going to get your repaired denture as quick as possible.

Mornington Peninsula Magazine, October 2016

 

Keep on smiling

October 10, 2016

It’s Maggie Murch’s mission to make sure denture wearers always have something to smile about. 

Maggie, who has a Master’s in dental prosthetics and 18 years’ experience in London and Australia, decided to open DenturePoint because she understands people don’t want to be without their smile.  That’s why she offers a two-hour turnaround service all day every day – and she comes to you.

“I love the idea of 24/7 denture repairs as you never know when disaster is going to strike.”

And because her business is mobile, Maggie can avoid the overhead costs facing other practices and pass the savings on to her patients. This makes DenturePoint one of the most cost-effective denture repair business in Australia.  Other services include copy dentures, denture clean-ups and mouthguards.

So if denture disaster strikes you, don’t worry - Maggie will soon have you smiling again.

DENTUREPOINT
M: 0400 919 513
W: denturepoint.com.au

Introducing DentureSpa - a professional clean up of dentures.

At DenturePoint, apart from 24/7 emergency denture repairs, we also offer a very unique service called DentureSpa which is a professional denture clean up.

What does a DentureSpa include?

We start the clean up by giving your dentures an ultrasonic bath. The ultrasonic sound waves create a wave motion that dislodges the undesirable deposits, tartar and plaque build ups. The dentures are also disinfected to remove all bacteria and other unwanted pathogens.They will then be soaked in professional dental cleaning products such as a solution of chlorhexidine gluconate. Recommended time of soaking is between 15-30minutes. For tobacco smokers, coffee and wine drinkers we will use professional stained dentures solutions. Finally your denture will be polished to a high lustre - this ensures the bacteria will find it difficult to attach to acrylic.

This service is recommended every six months - just like cleaning and scaling of your natural teeth. Some practices will offer loyalty programmes to encourage you to make these visits a part of your dental routine.

After a DentureSpa professional clean up all you have to do is to give your teeth a quick rinse with soap and water after each meal.  Clean your dentures over a hand-basin half filled with water to prevent breakage if dropped. You should also brush your gums, tongue and palate with a soft toothbrush to stimulate blood circulation in your oral tissues and simply to remove left behind food debris. For partial denture wearers please make sure to clean around the clasps.
Remember: do not use a regular toothpaste as it is too abrasive and will contribute to creating pockmarks for bacteria to attach to your dentures. 

For more information and for the loyalty cards please call DenturePoint on 0400919513 or check our website www.denturepoint.com.au

Dirty dentures will make you sick.

Bad breath? Mouth sores? Cracks at the corners of your mouth? 

 

Just like natural teeth, dentures should also be cleaned every six months. Call DenturePoint today and ask about DentureSpa!

These are just some of the symptoms that may indicate your dentures are not cleaned well and may be the first signs that harmful bacteria have started to accumulate. To the naked eye your dentures will appear clean and shiny but in fact the surface is full of microscopic pores. These pockmarks are a harbour for pathogens and when your dentures are not cleaned on regular basis they will attach to them.

Recent studies from the U.S. and UK indicate that bad hygiene of your false teeth leads to systemic disease and even put you at risk for heart disease. The scientists have isolated Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and hundreds of other garden-variety germs in acrylic dentures.1,2  Worse, some of the germs such as staphylococcus aureus bacteria are drug resistant and some others such as MRSA live on dentures until they are breathed into the lungs. Then they may cause serious infections, pneumonia and other hard to treat systemic diseases. The bad hygiene of the dentures may also lead to denture induced stomatitis or oral thrush caused by the overgrowth of Candida albicans.

Unfortunately most denture wearers are unaware of the fact that the bad hygiene of their dentures can lead to so many life threatening conditions. They do not perform a routine professional clean ups of their false teeth, which is rated very low on their priority list. Denture owners with low saliva flow should be particularly concerned about the cleanliness of their dentures.  So when you notice inflammation of gums, bad breath, cracks at the corner of your mouth and even mouth sores - don't ignore them! It is a sign that the plaque and bacteria accumulated around your dentures and became toxic. It is also a sign that you are long overdue for a visit to see your dental prosthetist for a professional clean up of your choppers.

For more information and to learn about DentureSpa (a professional denture clean up) please call DenturePoint on 0400919513 or check our website www.denturepoint.com.au 

1 Marsh PD, Percival RS, Challacombe SJ. The influence of denture-wearing and age on the oral microflora. J Dent Res July 1992; 71(7):1374-1381.
2 Shay K. Denture hygiene: a review and update. J Contemp Dent Pract Feb. 2000; 2(1):28-41.