People with dentures should disinfect and soak them overnight to remove tartar and stains. If there are no stains or tartar on your dentures, dentists recommend soaking the dentures in water only every night. But if you start to see stains and tartar build up, a water and vinegar solution can be just as effective as a store-bought denture cleaner to soak the tartar before removal. The acetic acid in vinegar has proven to be effective at cleaning tartar. It is a good idea to use a vinegar solution on a regular basis and to use a bleach solution for deeper disinfecting treatments. It is recommended to use the vinegar solutions only on full dentures, and not on partial dentures.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Preparing the vinegar solution
Step 1. Find a container that is large enough to hold your dentures
Look for a glass, cup, bowl, or washable food container to pour the vinegar solution into. Make sure it's big enough to submerge your dentures in.
Try to find a glass container to prevent any plastic or other porous material from being broken down by the vinegar
Step 2. Buy distilled white vinegar
Find white vinegar to use for this cleaning solution. Culinary or flavored vinegars can transfer flavors to your dentures, creating an unpleasant taste.
- You can find bottles of distilled white vinegar at the supermarkets for relatively low prices.
- Avoid apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and any other vinegars that are not distilled white vinegar.
Step 3. Mix one part water with an equal part vinegar
In the container you found to soak your dentures, mix a solution consisting of 50% vinegar and 50% water. Make sure the mixture has enough volume to submerge the dentures.
You can incorporate this into your evening routine before going to bed by mixing the vinegar and water together when you wash your face or put on your nightwear so that afterwards all you have to do is drop your dentures in the container on your way to bed
Step 4. Talk to your dentist before using vinegar
Before starting a vinegar routine for your teeth, your dentist must agree. For example, partial dentures can be adversely affected by prolonged use of vinegar as a cleaning solution.
This is because the vinegar can act as a caustic solution on the metal parts of the partial dentures
Part 2 of 3: Soaking the dentures
Step 1. Soak the dentures for 15 minutes a day
A good rule of thumb for partial dentures is to soak them in the vinegar solution for no more than 15 minutes once a day. This short time will still soak the tartar on the dentures without damaging the metal clips on the partial dentures.
Step 2. Soak the dentures in the vinegar overnight
If you see heavy tartar build up on your dentures, it's time to start soaking them overnight in the denture solution. The solution will soften the tartar particles.
- Remember that you should not soak partial dentures in vinegar overnight unless you have been given the green light by your dentist.
- If you don't see a build-up of tartar on the dentures, stick to an overnight soak in vinegar.
- Some dentists recommend that if you regularly soak your teeth overnight, you should make a solution containing only 10% vinegar mixed with water, for no more than 8 hours.
Step 3. Check for soaked tartar and deposits
In most cases, the vinegar won't actually dissolve the tartar, just soften it so you can brush it off the next morning. The vinegar won't remove stains on its own either, but it will make it easier to let a denture brush do its job.
Part 3 of 3: Cleaning the dentures
Step 1. Dip your denture brush in a solution of bleach and water
You should soak your denture brush in a half bleach/half water solution once a week to prevent bacterial growth. Rinse the brush thoroughly before using it on your dentures.
Step 2. Remove the dentures from the vinegar
The next morning, take the container to the sink and fill it with water. Remove the dentures from the vinegar solution with your hands, making sure to hold the dentures above the water. This water serves as a cushion in case you drop the dentures while you are working on them.
Step 3. Brush the dentures with your denture brush
Now use the clean brush to brush away stains and tartar build-up on the dentures. Brushing the dentures overnight in vinegar will also get rid of plaque, food particles and bacteria.
- If the stains don't come off after the first night of soaking, then repeated soaking should eventually get rid of all the stains.
- If stains don't come off no matter how often you soak your teeth, talk to your dentist (this includes coffee stains, yellowing, any kind of stain).
- Scrub every surface of your false teeth, both the inside and the outside, with either a denture brush or a toothbrush. Make sure the brush is wet when doing this, and that you use a light brushing motion.
Step 4. Rinse the dentures thoroughly
After cleaning all surfaces of the dentures, it is time to rinse them. Repeatedly rinse the dentures until both visible stains, tartar, and vinegar-scented residue are washed away. Rinsing will help wash away any residue and get the vinegary taste off the dentures.
Step 5. Pour off the vinegar solution
When you're done soaking your dentures, pour the solution away. Don't use the vinegar solution a second time because it now contains residue from stains, tartar, bacteria, and whatever else was on your dentures.