How to Care for Your Interim Dentures While You Heal After Implant Surgery

You might not have your interim dentures for long, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need some care. Jason Alsbury, LD at Apex Denture Studio, has easy ways to make this transition a breeze. 

Here’s everything you should know about keeping your interim dentures in mint condition. 

Do I really need interim dentures?

The short answer is yes; interim dentures are a crucial phase of tooth replacement. 

There are two main reasons we use them. Either you’re waiting for your permanent set of dentures to arrive, or you’ve just had implant surgery and need temporary dentures to prevent bone loss and tooth shifting. 

These dentures might not be with you for the long haul, but it is important to care for them as best you can. Otherwise, you risk taking steps backward in your journey. 

How can I take care of interim dentures?

Don’t worry. Caring for interim dentures isn’t complicated — here are a few basic rules of thumb. 

Chew carefully 

Interim dentures have a soft lining that damages easily if you chomp down on tough foods. That, combined with the fact that your mouth is healing from oral surgery, makes a soft-food diet necessary. 

Stick with mashed potatoes, smoothies, yogurts, and other no-chewing-needed foods to protect both your healing mouth and your temporary dentures. 

We also recommend avoiding hot beverages and food to avoid damaging the denture material. 

Remove and clean your dentures regularly

Care instructions for interim dentures look similar to those for other types of dentures. Make sure you:

• Take out your dentures to rinse off food particles and debris
• Gently brush your dentures with a mild soap or denture cleaner
• Soak dentures overnight
• Keep dentures moist at all times

Always handle your dentures carefully, especially when taking them in and out. Even though we create interim dentures to fit your mouth as comfortably as possible, you may need to come in for a few denture relines while waiting for your permanent tooth replacement. 

Caring for your dentures, maintaining good oral hygiene, and following all post-op care instructions make it much more likely that your interim dentures will fit comfortably.

What happens after interim dentures?

You wear your interim dentures for as long as it takes for your mouth to heal from surgery and Dr. Alsbury to create your permanent dentures. The interim denture duration varies from person to person, but you can expect to have them for at least a few weeks. 

Once your permanent dentures are ready, you return to our office for a final fitting. From there, your main priority is caring for your new teeth. 

If you have removable dentures, remove them often to clean them and always keep them moist. Implant-retained dentures need a little less TLC, but you should still maintain a regular brushing and flossing routine. 

Keeping your dentures in tip-top shape doesn’t have to be a mystery. Our denture experts are standing by to help you through every step of the process. If you’d like additional guidance, call our friendly staff at 509-204-8305 in Yakima or Richland, Washington, or use our online booking tool to schedule an appointment.