If you have dentures, you might find that you feel more confident when you wear them all the time, including when you are in bed. However, most dentists recommend that you take your dentures out at night. If you are unsure of why this is so important, consider these three reasons why you shouldn't wear your dentures while you are sleeping.

1. You Can Clean Your Dentures While You Are Sleeping

Although it's still important to clean your dentures by hand, you can clean them well while you are sleeping as well. There are special tablets and solutions that you can purchase to soak your dentures in while you are asleep. This will help provide extra cleaning, which is important for sanitation reasons and to keep your dentures in good shape.

2. You Can Help Prevent Loss of Bone in Your Jaw

Did you know that wearing your dentures 24 hours a day could actually cause bone loss in your jaw? When you have your dentures in, they put added pressure on your jaw. If your jaw never gets any relief from this added pressure, then you could experience bone loss. By taking your dentures out at nighttime, however, you can provide your jaw with some relief, which can help with the preservation of the bone.

3. You Can Help Your Mouth Heal

As you have probably noticed, wearing dentures can be uncomfortable at times, such as by causing small tears and sores in your mouth. If you take your dentures out every night, you can give your mouth some roof to breathe and become coated by saliva. This can help these sores and tears to heal and can provide you with better comfort when you are wearing your dentures.

However, if you notice that these sores are common, you should see your dentist like one from Gentle Dental Family Care to get to the source of the problem along with letting them heal. For example, there is a chance that your denture does not fit properly, which can cause sores and other issues. Your dentist should be able to help you prevent these sores later on, but for now, allowing them to "breathe" at night can help you feel better.

If you are currently in the habit of wearing your dentures all day and all night, you might want to make a change. These are some of the reasons why it's best not to wear your dentures 24 hours a day.