When treating mouth thrush, how do I treat my dentures? Do I need to buy new tooth & denture brushes & cup?

Hello Anonymous,

Welcome to EmpowHER. Thank you for reaching out to our community with your question.

Oral thrush, called oral candidiasis, is a condition in which the fungus Candida albicans accumulates on the lining of your mouth. Candida is a normal organism in your mouth, but sometimes it can overgrow and cause symptoms.

It is important to clean your dentures every night. Discard your toothbrush, denture brush and cup. Purchase new ones.

Remove your dentures before going to bed.

Scrub them well with a clean toothbrush and water.

Soak them overnight in chlorhexidine, which you can get from a pharmacist. Or you can use a denture cleaner, which you can get from most drug or grocery stores.

Rinse the dentures well in the morning. If you used chlorhexidine to soak your dentures, don't use fluoride toothpaste for at least 30 minutes after putting your dentures back in your mouth. (Fluoride can weaken the effect of chlorhexidine.)

Hope this is helpful,
Maryann