Prevention is the best medicine, and for the elderly, every ounce of prevention is well worth it. A study published in The Journal of Dental Research suggests that going to bed with your dentures on could increase your risk of pneumonia significantly. The study involved 524 elderly individuals aged 81 and older and looked at which ones routinely wore their teeth to bed. It turned out that 41 percent of nighttime wearers had more than double the risk of developing pneumonia.
Why Only 41 Percent?
Bacteria reaches the lungs when it is breathed in, but it doesn’t always cause lung problems from its presence there; another contributing factor is a weak immune system.
Why Are There Risks Associated with Wearing Them All Night But Not All Day?
Sleep creates the perfect opportunity for plaque and bacteria to grow in the mouth and also to be inhaled into the lungs.
Prevent oral bacteria from being inhaled into the lungs and causing pneumonia by taking out your dentures at night and preventing these oral hygiene problems that create bad bacteria:
Inflamed gums
Oral yeast
Tongue plaque
What’s Most Important
So while you may forget or it may make you feel more normal to wear your teeth while you sleep, in the long run, putting more emphasis on your health and taking them off before you go to bed could protect your health and save your life.
Give Your Mouth And Your Teeth The Best Care
Take advantage of the nighttime hours to give your dentures a thorough cleaning, decrease the chances of sore spots developing and being aggravated, and keep your mind and reflexes sharp by staying alert to when you need to pop them back in upon waking.
Canadian Denture Centres is a leading center for denture and dental implant services. Our work comes with the increased benefits of our focus on treating each mouth like a fingerprint, and so our products are custom created and fit for each patient’s jaw and mouth. We can help by making adjustments to your oral pieces so you are more comfortable, and we can help by providing denture cleaning solutions and services. Also, if you would like to do away with removable teeth altogether and upgrade to dental implants, as studies show most people prefer, then we offer some of the best custom dental implants and pricing plans.