Taking care of false teeth using a do-it-yourself approach and homemade cleaning solutions can be quite effective. If you’re interested, here’s how it can be done.
1) You need to brush your denture first.
The exact same type of debris (bacteria, dental plaque, staining and tartar) that accumulates on natural teeth and oral tissues will accumulate on false teeth too. Effective denture cleaning always starts with a thorough brushing, both inside and out, in the presence of water. (This is true whether you plan to use a homemade or commercial cleaning product as your next step.)
Most any type of brush that you feel might be suitable will probably be fine. As a guide, you might look at the denture brushes that are sold in the dental health section of your local store. Denture brushes have a bristle stiffness and shape that has been specially designed for used with dentures. Usually these brushes are relatively inexpensive and make a good choice. But if you already have a brush that is similar in nature and you think that it can navigate over the contours of your denture and give it a good scrubbing then that’s fine. Many people use a toothbrush, nailbrush or other small brush when cleaning their false teeth.
You don’t have to apply any special cleaner when you brush your denture. If you want to use a denture cleansing powder or paste that’s fine. A mild dishwashing soap is perfectly suitable too. Don’t feel that you have to use anything. It is the action of the brush scrubbing against the denture that produces the results. The type of cleaner used, if any, is secondary.
It is important that neither the stiffness of the chosen brush or the abrasiveness of the cleaner chosen will scratch or abrade your denture. This is especially true when the long term is considered. For this reason, toothpaste (which typically does contain abrasives) is usually not a good choice for denture cleaning. Additionally, your denture brush should be dedicated to that use only. A shared-function brush may retain residual amounts of other cleaners (such as toothpaste) on it and scratch up the surface of your denture.
2) Chemical denture cleaning and disinfecting is needed after brushing.
Denture brushing alone will not be effective in keeping your dentures fresh and your mouth health. This is because at a microscopic level the surface of a denture is very porous. This means that there are an abundant number of locations in which microorganisms can find safe harbor, even after the most diligent brushing efforts. Because of this some sort of chemical cleansing and disinfecting is required for effective denture cleaning.
Homemade denture cleaning solutions.
Very suitable homemade denture cleaners can be made from common household products. Two of them are bleach and also vinegar. The following explains how to prepare and use them.
A) Bleach-based denture cleaning solution.
A dilution of household bleach (sodium hypochlorite, Chlorox) can be used to clean false teeth. It is typically used as a mixture of one part bleach to ten parts tap water. Dentures are usually soaked in this solution for about twenty to thirty minutes.
Diluted beach cleaning solution has been shown to effectively kill those microorganisms that remain harbored on false teeth even after a thorough scrubbing has been performed. And as you might expect, it will also remove some types of denture staining.
A bleach-based cleaner on its own will not be effective in removing tartar accumulation. This deficiency can be remedied by adding one teaspoon of Calgon water softener (Calgon the calcium-chelating agent, not Calgon the soap or bath oil) per glassful of one to ten bleach to tap water solution.
Precautions to consider when using a bleach-based denture cleaning solution.
While bleach solution is the most commonly used type of homemade denture cleaner, if you do choose to use it there are a few considerations you should keep in mind.
a) After soaking, you must thoroughly rinse your denture off with water. Any residual cleaner that does remain might cause gum irritation.
b) Long-term, regular use of a bleach-based denture soak may lighten the color of a denture’s tissue-colored plastic. For most people this will either be a non-issue or else a change that is not readily apparent. But a change, especially when the long term is considered, is possible.
c) Bleach-based denture cleaners may tarnish the metal component of partial dentures. This is especially likely when the soak duration is greater than ten minutes per day.
d) Unless your dentist states otherwise, bleach-based denture cleaners typically are not considered to be appropriate for use with dentures that have a soft plastic liner.
B) Vinegar-based denture cleaners.
Vinegar (acetic acid solution) can be used as a denture cleaner. The usual recommendation is a soak created by mixing vinegar with an equal amount of water. This solution has been reported to be effective at killing the types of microorganisms that reside on the surface of dentures, however, less so than the bleach-based solution described above.
Vinegar-based denture cleaner is an effective way to remove tartar that has accumulated on false teeth. The acidic nature of the vinegar will soften and digest the tartar. A soaking may remove all or just some of it. That which remains may have become soft enough to brush off. If not, repeated soakings over time can be expected to do the trick.
Precautions to consider when using a vinegar-based denture cleaning solution.
Just as with bleach-based denture cleansers, there are precautions to take when using a vinegar-based one.
a) Vinegar-based denture cleaning solutions may tarnish the metal component of partial dentures.
b) Unless your dentist states otherwise, vinegar-based denture cleaners are not usually considered to be appropriate for use with false teeth that have a soft plastic liner.
Why use just one kind of denture cleaner?
It’s not a bad idea to consider the use of more than one type of denture soaking solution. Bleach-based cleaner tends to excel in denture sterilization. Vinegar-based solution will be better at removing tartar and may (due to its acidity) be effective against some microorganisms than bleach. While you may not choose to use both types of soaks on the same day, you should consider switching off between the two on a daily (preferably) or weekly basis.
