How to look after your dentures
Good daily care keeps your dentures fitting well, your gums healthy and your breath fresh. It only takes a few minutes, morning and evening.
Medically reviewed by Dt. Hüseyin Yavuz Özbek, implant surgeon · Updated October 2026Brush your dentures with soft soap or washing-up liquid every morning and evening, not toothpaste. Clean over a bowl of water or a towel in case you drop them. Rinse them after meals, take them out at night and keep them in water or a denture solution. Brush your gums, tongue and any remaining teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
Every morning and evening
The NHS recommends:
- Brush your gums, tongue and any remaining teeth with fluoride toothpaste.
- Take your dentures out and brush them with soft soap or washing-up liquid.
- Clean them over a sink filled with water, or over something soft like a towel, because they can break if dropped.
After meals
Rinse your dentures in cold water to remove loose bits of food.
At night
Take your dentures out every night and keep them in water, a polythene bag with damp cotton wool, an overnight denture-cleaning solution or a denture bath. The Oral Health Foundation adds that keeping them in a little water stops them drying out or warping. Brush them again in the morning before putting them back in.
What not to do
- Don't wear dentures overnight unless your dentist recommends it.
- Don't clean dentures with toothpaste, which could damage them.
- Don't try to repair or adjust them yourself. Take broken parts to your dentist.
When to see your dentist
Keep having regular check-ups even if you have no natural teeth left. Your dentist checks the fit of your dentures and the health of your mouth. The NHS says to see a dentist if your dentures click, slip, hurt, are worn or damaged, or if you have very red or bleeding gums or bad breath.
If your dentures have started to feel loose, read what to do about loose dentures.
Caring for clip-on dentures
If your denture clips onto implants, clean the denture in the same way and also clean carefully around each implant every day. Plaque around implants can cause gum infection. Read more about clip-on dentures.
Common questions
Why shouldn't I use toothpaste on dentures?
The NHS advises against it because toothpaste could damage them. Use soft soap or washing-up liquid with a brush instead.
Do I really need to take my dentures out at night?
The NHS says not to wear them overnight unless your dentist recommends it. Trapped food increases the risk of gum infections and decay, and there is a risk of choking on them while sleeping.
What if my denture breaks?
Don't try to glue it yourself. The NHS advises taking any broken parts to your dentist so they can check whether it can be repaired.
Sources
- NHS — Dentures: how to look after your dentures
- Oral Health Foundation — Dentures (sleeping with dentures, eating)
- Oral Health Foundation — Caring for dentures (patient guide)
Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.
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