Reasons Why Your Dentures Stop Being in the Pink

While you may have been able to keep your denture's teeth looking white and bright, you may notice as time passes that the pink acrylic gum areas on your false teeth are not looking as healthy as they did originally. They may fade, go a little white or even seem to pick up stains and other colours. Why are your denture's gums not as pink as they used to be?

Using the Wrong Cleaning Products 

Although dentures are made from resilient materials, they are also prone to damage if they aren't looked after correctly. False teeth, like natural teeth, need to be cleaned with care. Typically, dentures should be cleaned with specialist toothpastes and soaking solutions that are designed for false teeth.

If you've used other products to try and get a better clean, like bleach or household cleaners that contain chemicals, then these products may have affected the gum colour of the teeth. So, your once-pink gums may lose some of their colour and start to fade to an unhealthy hue.

Exposing Your Dentures to Stuff That Stains

There is some evidence that dentures, like natural teeth, can be stained by highly-coloured food, drinks and other things you put in your mouth. This can affect the pink acrylic areas of false teeth as well as the teeth themselves. So, if you smoke, drink a lot of coffee, red wine or tea, or even use some mouthwashes that have colourings added to them, then your denture's gums may get stained and discoloured.

Wearing Old Dentures

Dentures aren't meant to last for life — chances are, you need to get a new set every 5-8 years. While denture replacement is often down to changes in the structure of your mouth that make your false teeth fit less well as time goes by, you may also notice other problems as your dentures age. For example, the colouring on gum areas may simply start to fade on very old dentures, leaving you with gums that are much less pink than they used to be.

If you've noticed that your dentures are losing their colour, then talk to your dentist about why this might be happening and what you should do next. Your dentist may simply feel that you've reached the point where your teeth need replacing. If your colour changes are down to the way you've been cleaning your false teeth, the foods/drinks you've been having or lifestyle issues, then your dentist can also recommend ways to prevent more colour loss happening in the future.

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