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.
