For many elderly folks, dentures are a part of their lives. They might have partial dentures to fill in some of those spots where they no longer have teeth or they might have a complete set for all of the top and bottom teeth. While dentures help restore your loved one’s smile to what it used to be, their more important purpose is to make sure your loved one can eat the foods she wants to eat, safely and comfortably.
If your loved one struggles with dentures that don’t seem to be able to stay in while laughing, talking, or trying to enjoy some of her meal, there are steps you can take to help her dentures stay in place. Some of these she can do on her own, and some might require a little help from her personal care at home provider before she starts the day (or as she ends the day).
Here are five easy steps to keep your loved one’s smile shining bright.
- Clean those dentures every day. Cleaning her dentures not only makes them sparkle and shine, it will also help with keeping them in place throughout the day because the adhesives will adhere better (we’ll talk about them on the next point). Your loved one’s personal care at home provider can help with reminders about cleaning the dentures or even help with cleaning them daily.
- Use the right adhesives. Adhesives come in several forms – powders, creams, and liquids. Finding the right one for your loved one is key. Her personal care at home provider can add different ones to the shopping list to try out or your loved one can check with her dentist to see if they have samples to test. Just remind your loved one not to use too much or she might have trouble removing her dentures at the end of the day.
- Adjust speaking and eating habits slowly. At first, it may take a bit of getting used to, so if your loved one has newer dentures, have her start slowly, concentrating on her speech and eating, making sure she’s not causing her dentures to come loose in the process. Chewing the food evenly on both sides of the mouth can also help keep those dentures in place.
- Take them out at night. Your loved one’s jaws need a bit of respite from holding in those dentures all day so taking them out at night will help her jaw rest and be ready for the next day. It’ll make sure her jaw doesn’t get too tired and thus more accidents happen.
- Soak the dentures in warm water. Each night, your loved one should soak her dentures, not just place them on the nightstand. If her personal care at home provider helps her get ready for bed at night, have them place her dentures in warm water – never too hot or too cold. A nice warm soak each night will help her dentures maintain their shape and fit.
Following these simple tips can help your loved one’s dentures remain in good shape and keep their fit, thus keeping them in her mouth when she talks and eats.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering personal care at home in Neosho, MO please contact the caring staff at Adelmo Family Care today at (417) 206-4576.
To provide the safest and most qualified caregivers, John felt it was important to properly screen and train caregivers before they were invited into the homes of the families being care for.No caregiver is introduced to a client before being taught the Adelmo Standard.
Adelmo is German for Noble Protector, a name that projects what Adelmo Family Care strives to be. It is our goal to protect our elderly from having to move somewhere they do not want to go, while remaining safe, secure and independent.
Care is our Product and Independence is our Goal.We are there for you when you need to have some help to continue to live independently, at your direction, in your home. We will work with you to get you as fit as possible so you may become completely independent once again, if at all possible.
We provide compassionate care, a watchful eye and a helping hand to our clients and their families.
We can't wait to meet you!
Adelmo Family Care is a member of the Home Care Association of America, The Senior’s Choice, The Webb City Chamber of Commerce, The Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce and several local senior committees.
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