C L E A N I N G
Purchased or Home made; Some Considerations…
The purpose of the chosen cleaning solution is to kill microorganisms, remove tarter and other stains and help remove food particles.
There is no one solution, and knowing these hints and tips below will keep your denture squeaky clean.
It is also vital to ask about relines. Generally a fast-setting acrylic is used that is different than the acrylic that makes up the rest of your denture (who wants to wait five days for a reline?) Check with your dentist if there are any cleaning considerations with your reline as some solutions may not be compatible.
You must use Valclean with Valplast dentures or they will become abrasive and turn brown. You can purchase some in the shop on this site.
Brush Daily
Use water mixed with either hand soap or dishwashing liquid. Premix this in a bottle and simply squirt onto either the brush or denture.
No toothpaste or any household cleaner that has an abrasive in it!
Soak Daily
Brushing does one thing, soaking does another. See our optimum daily routine at the bottom of this page…
Commercial Cleansers
These are great for nightly soaking. They are readily affordable and available from… just about anywhere. They are excellent for killing microorganisms and providing peace of mind.
Bleach
Bleach? Yep, Bleach. By far the most popular cleaner, it actually may provide slightly better results in killing microorganisms than commercial cleansers. Additional to that, you’ve probably already got some in your cupboard and you can’t beat the price.
DO NOT USE THIS ON METAL / CHROME.
It can spot corrode and tarnish the metal. If this does happen, we can polish it for you, so no biggie if you forget.
Recipe
1 part household bleach to 10 parts water. Makes approximately 0.5% mix.
ENSURE it is 5.25% Sodium Hypochlorite or we really don’t know what will happen.
Make it fresh and use once a day for 3-10 minutes – Do not use overnight.
Extended soaking has not proven any additional benefits and can whiten the ‘gums’ of your denture.
Bleach is not especially effective in helping remove mineral deposits or tarter.
You can add 1 tsp of calgon water softener per glassful of bleach solution and after the 3-10 minutes of soaking, brush to remove the softened deposits.
Easier still, try our Vinegar Soak.
Vinegar
White vinegar is not especially good at killing microorganisms, but it is excellent for removing the mineral deposits. Use this soak after brushing away any excess particles, then brush again after soaking and hopefully your denture will look good as new.
Recipe
Infrequent / periodic:
50% white vinegar for 10 minutes. Not effective? then try 100% for 10 minutes.
Daily use:
10% white vinegar for 3 minutes up to 8 hours.
Baking Soda
This targets a different sort of microorganism. You should exchange bleach for this from time to time, or use it if you have a metal denture.
Recipe
1 tsp of baking soda to 1 cup of water. Dissolve the crystals and soak for 30 minutes.
Mouthwash
Is not effective against either bugs or tarter. We don’t recommend it as a cleaner.
Ultrasonic Cleaners
While not a common household item, you may have one lying around or decide to purchase one if you have difficulty managing a brush.
They work by propelling the cleaning solution against the denture surface. Beware the difference between a sonic and ultrasonic – you need the ultra! These work by generating tiny bubbles caused by intense agitation. As these tiny bubbles collapse, they cause tiny, but strong, shockwaves.
Recipe
Use dishwashing liquid or handsoap in water for 3-6 minutes.
There has been no proven benefit for leaving them in longer than that. You can clean more than one at a time by putting each denture into a bag and filling it with the liquid. Put the two or more bags into the surrounding water and away you go!
Denture Breath
If you aren’t sure if your breath is being effected by your dentures, use this handy trick to find out.
Put your denture into a plastic bag and seal.
Leave it for several minutes.
Open the bag and smell.
If the bag is a bit, er, unpleasant, then best increase your daily routine and cleaning habits.
The Optimum Daily Routine
- Brush with an enzymatic dishwasher soap (cascade)
- A Bleach soak – 0.5% for 3-10 mintues OR
- A Baking soda – 1 tsp to 250 mls if you have a metal denture. Switch between bleach and baking soda from time to time to kill all types of bugs.
- A Vinegar soak – 10% for 3-10 minutes
- Brush again to remove softened tarter
- Rinse after every meal
- Overnight soak in water or commercial cleanser
- Return your denture to the dentist for a periodic polish at the lab.