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The fit and function of a dental fixed and/or removable appliances
depend to a large degree on the cooperation of the patient in daily cleaning of
the appliance and bacterial plaque control for the remaining natural teeth.
Key Benefits
- Benefit 1 -- Reduce a high dental caries rate
- Benefit 2 -- Eliminate gingival and periodontal infections
- Benefit 3 -- Get rid of irritants to the oral tissues; prevent mouth
odors
Items for Consumption
Additional Devices are needed for plaque removal from proximal tooth surfaces
when the fixed appliance (bridges, brackets and arch wire) prevent
passage of floss from the occlusal aspect.
- 1. Inerdental Devices
- A. Conical or pyramidal flexible soft rubber tip is attached to
the end of the handle of a toothbrush or is on a special plastic handle. Use
for cleaning debris from the interdental area and for removal of bacterial
plaque by rubbing the exposed tooth surfaces. It removes plaque at and just
below the gingival margin.
- B. Interdental Brush.
- C. A Single-Tuft Brush.
- D. Bi-level Toothbrush.
- 2. Floss Threaders
- A. Clear Plastic with Closed Eye.
- B. Tinted plastic with Open Eye.
- C. Soft Plastic Loop.
- D. Flexible Wire.
- E. Twisted Wire.
Inadequate hygiene practices of the removable appliances (dentures,
night-guards) are major causes of oral lesions. Cleaning the appliances prevents
irritation to the oral tissues, control infection, put off mouth odors, and
maintain appearance.
- 3. Cleaning The Removable Appliance (Dentures)
- A. Rinsing Under Running Water.
- B. Brushing with Denture Brush
or separate ordinary toothbrush.
- C. Immersion; the Appliance
is soaked in solvent or detergent in which chemical action removes or
loosens stains and deposits that can then be rinsed or brushed away.
- D. Mechanical Denture Cleaners;
commercially available devices include ultrasonic, sonic, magnetic, and
agitating mechanisms that can be combined with an immersion agent.
Guidelines and Instructions
- 1. Care of Fixed Partial Dentures (Bridges)
- A. The gingival surfaces of the pontics and beneath the connectors are
particularly prone to plaque retention.
- B. Use floss threader to draw the
floss between abutment and a pontic.
- C. Apply floss to the distal surface of the mesial abutment; pull
through 1 or 2 inches.
- D. Slide floss under pontic.
- E. Move back and forth several times to remove bacterial plaque from the
gingival surface of the pontic.
- F. Apply new section of floss to the mesial surface of the distal
abutment.
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- 2. Care of Removable Appliances (Dentures)
- A. The appliance (denture) is held securely, but without squeezing, in
palm of the nonworking hand.
- B. Place a face cloth in the bottom
of the sink and partially fill with water.
- C. The specially designed brush is
preferred because one group of tufts is arranged to provide access to the
inner impression surface of the denture.
- D. Apply warm water, nonabrasive
cleanser, and brush to all areas of the denture.
- E. Rinse denture and brush under
running water.
- F. Use the brush to remove denture
cleanser that may be retained in the grooves.
- G. Visually check each area
carefully for bacterial plaque.
- H. Run a finger over the surfaces
to find "slippery" plaque areas.
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