Keeping Your Dentures Secure While Playing Hockey

Participating in hockey can be a great way to get some exercise while expanding your social network. The physical nature of hockey often results in missing teeth, and many players find themselves with dentures to replace teeth that have been knocked out over time.

Keeping your dentures secure while you are out on the ice can be challenging, but here are three tips you can use to better secure your dentures during your next hockey practice or game.

1. Soak your dentures in cool water.

When you remove your dentures to soak them at night, you should avoid using hot water if you want to maintain a more secure fit while you are playing hockey. The materials used to create dentures can be sensitive to changes in temperature, so soaking your dentures in hot water could cause them to soften.

This softening results in subtle changes to the shape of your dentures, compromising the fit. By soaking your dentures in cool water instead, you ensure a more secure fit over time.

2. Learn to re-position your tongue.

When your natural teeth are still intact, your tongue naturally rests against your bottom teeth when you mouth is in a relaxed position. While this position may not present a problem for your natural teeth, the pressure of your tongue against your dentures could cause them to become loose and move around while you are on the ice.

Learning to re-position your tongue so that it rests on the bottom of your mouth (and on top of the stabilizing portion of your dentures) while you are engaged in hockey activities will allow you to keep your dentures in a more comfortable and natural position.

3. Invest in a quality denture adhesive.

Applying an adhesive to your dentures could help them stay firmly in place throughout your hockey practice or game.

Be sure that you are applying only a small amount of adhesive to avoid uncomfortable product buildup, and apply the adhesive to dry dentures for the most secure fit. You can also bring your adhesive along to the rink in your hockey bag and reapply if you find your dentures get knocked loose from a big hit.

Finding ways to keep your dentures firmly in place while you play hockey will allow you to focus on your performance and not on your teeth. Try to avoid warping your dentures by soaking them in cool water, re-position your tongue during hockey games to keep your dentures in place, and use a quality adhesive to prevent your dentures from slipping while you are on the ice. For more information on dentures, contact a dentist at a location such as Dental Care Of Scottsburg - Randol O Woolbright Jr DDS.