There are many different forms of bacteria normally residing in the mouth. There is a proliferation of these germs when dentures (upper and or lower) are left in the mouth during sleep. The bad bacteria breed very easily in the mouth, especially when wearing dentures during sleep. These harmful bacteria are inhaled into the lungs and can cause pneumonia.
People who have the habit of leaving their dentures in their mouth overnight often exhibit poor oral health and have poor oral health habits. These people tend to visit a dentist infrequently and do not have their dentures examined and professionally cleaned.
To help avoid illness, it is advisable to remove dentures at night and thoroughly clean them as well as brushing remaining teeth and rinsing with a prescribed mouth rinse. At Scarsdale Dental Spa, we recommend this exam every 6 months and offer special mouth washes available to help control the harmful bacteria.