Guide to Denture Brushing

Dentures aren’t maintenance-free. The same debris that accumulates on natural teeth (microorganisms, dental plaque, tartar, stains, food particles) will tend to accumulate on artificial ones too.

That means, to keep your false teeth clean and fresh and your mouth healthy, you’ll need to perform a daily maintenance routine—and as this page explains, it must include brushing your dentures.

What kind of daily care do your dentures require?

It takes a two-stage cleaning approach, mechanical plus chemical, to to effectively clean your dentures. Neither method alone is as effective as when both are combined.

Stage #1 Cleaning – Mechanical removal of debris.

a) Denture brushing.

The most basic form of “mechanical” denture cleansing is brushing. And as unglamorous as this method may seem, there’s no substitute for it.

• Brushing is a quick, easy, and effective way to remove accumulated soft debris from denture surfaces.
• Doing so also sets the stage for more effective chemical cleansing (denture soaking).

However, as this page explains, it’s crucial to follow recommended guidelines when brushing false teeth—both in selecting the right kind of brush and in choosing an appropriate cleaner—to avoid causing damage to your appliance(s).

b) Ultrasonic cleaning.

Using an ultrasonic denture cleaner can add an extra layer of mechanical cleansing to your denture care routine. These devices don’t replace brushing; rather, they enhance the overall cleaning by removing debris and plaque at a microscopic level. Incorporating an ultrasonic cleaner into your routine can be a valuable asset, boosting the thoroughness of your daily denture maintenance.

This page explains these units in detail (what they do, how they work, features to look for, costs): Guide to Ultrasonic Denture Cleaners.

Stage #2 Cleaning – Chemical cleansing.

Brushing can only accomplish so much.

As important as mechanical cleansing is, at a microscopic level, even with ultrasonic cleaning, it’s still not 100% effective. That’s because denture plastic is porous, and therefore provides innumerable nooks and crannies for microorganisms to colonize.

Studies have shown that brushing does help to reduce rates of denture stomatitis (mouth irritation related to wearing false teeth). But they’ve also documented that its effectiveness is limited with certain types of microorganisms.

For example, a review by Felton reported that Candida (an oral fungus that can cause yeast infections of the mouth) wasn’t always effectively removed by brushing alone.

That’s why chemical cleaning (soaking) is needed too.

After brushing, the next step in your daily care should involve chemical cleansing and disinfection. You might choose to use a commercial (store-bought) preparation or a homemade alternative.

Both can be equally effective. Use this link for information about the chemical aspect of denture care.

Denture brushing instructions and technique.

Any type of denture cleaning process should always begin with brushing. It’s the quickest, most effective way to remove large amounts of debris (dental plaque, residual food) from your appliance’s surfaces.

A) How to brush false teeth. – The steps.

Here’s a set of directions that explain how to brush dentures effectively.

Step #1 –

To start, rinse your appliance thoroughly with cool water. This will wash away any loose debris and help create the moist environment needed for the remainder of your cleaning activities.

Important! – Never scrub a dry denture or use a dry brush. The presence of moisture helps to minimize surface scratching.

Step #2 –

Using a moistened brush, gently scrub all surfaces of your denture both inside and out. “Lightly” and “thoroughly” are the key, as opposed to scrubbing forcefully and harshly.

Dip your brush in water or hold it under the faucet for additional moisture as you work. If you choose, you can apply a cleanser to your brush (see below).

Note!

• If your denture has a soft interior lining, be gentle when using your brush so you don’t damage it.
• For dentures that have a temporary soft liner, gently scrub its surface using your finger or a cloth instead of brushing.

Step #3 –

Whenever present, all remnants of denture adhesive should be removed. If it’s not, when additional adhesive is used, a thick buildup can form that can prove very difficult to remove.

Step #4 –

Once you’ve brushed all surfaces, inside and out, rinse your denture thoroughly with cool water.

Important!

Dentures should not be allowed to dry out. If they do, distortion may occur that can affect their fit. If you’re not going to put your appliance back into your mouth immediately, it should be fully immersed in water until it is.

Step #5 –

As your next step of denture care, proceed to using a soaking solution (chemical cleansing).

B) What kind of brush should you use?

You can use pretty much any type of brush you want. The only real requirements are:

• It should have moderately soft bristles.
• It must have a shape that can access all of your denture’s internal and external surfaces
• You may find it beneficial to use more than one size or shape of brush.

Beware: Stiff bristles will scratch your denture.

Any method of brushing, even when just using water, will tend to scratch the polished surface of your denture. Keeping this type of damage to a minimum is important because microorganisms have an easier time attaching to rough denture surfaces. (Verran) Additionally, stain accumulation tends to be more of a problem with scratched surfaces too.

Look for a “soft” brush.

As you’d expect, research suggests that the level of wear and tear that takes place during denture brushing correlates with the stiffness of the brush that’s used. (Pascaretti-Girzon)

Research.

A study by Zilinskas evaluated the scratching effect of a “low-abrasion” toothpaste when used for denture cleaning (a practice that is NOT recommended, see below) using “soft,” “medium,” and “hard” bristled toothbrushes (like those made for brushing natural teeth).

Significantly more wear took place when a “hard” brush was used as opposed to a “soft” one.

Keep in mind, your goal is to be thorough. And the main requirements for that are time and diligence, not using a stiff-bristled brush.

a) Denture brushes.

Choosing a dedicated denture brush to clean your appliances makes a good choice. These brushes are specifically designed for the job, typically featuring a dual brush head design that helps to make your cleaning efforts easier and more effective.

A specially designed denture brush.

Characteristics of denture brushes.

• One side of the brush typically features a long row of bristles designed for cleaning the outer (external) surfaces of dentures.
• The other side usually features a smaller tuft of bristles, ideal for cleaning the internal (concave) surfaces that fit over the gums, as well as in and around partial denture clasps.
• The stiffness of the brush’s bristles are specifically designed for scrubbing plastic dental appliances.
• For people with limited manual dexterity, some denture brushes are designed with thicker, easier-to-grip handles.
• These brushes are quite affordable—many name-brand products cost less than $5.

Suction-cup dentures brushes.

For people who have limited manual dexterity, suction-cup denture brushes, enable one-handed cleaning. Some models have the cups attached directly to the brush handle, while others are mounted upright on a plastic stand equipped with two or four suction cups.

b) Using a toothbrush as a denture brush.

Many people end up cleaning their false teeth using a toothbrush and evidently doing so makes a reasonable choice.

• A study by Nishi found no difference in the overall level of microorganisms found on appliances maintained using a toothbrush vs. a denture brush.
• A study by Silva-Lovato generally found no differences between using either type of brush.

When using a toothbrush as a denture brush –

• Choose one that is designated as having “soft” bristles.
• The size and shape of the toothbrush should allow you to reach all surfaces of your denture, both inside and out. Using both a child-sized and an adult-sized brush may help you to clean your appliance more thoroughly.
• The brush(es) you use should be dedicated to just denture cleaning. Toothpaste residue can scratch denture surfaces.
• If you have problems with manual dexterity, look for toothbrushes with oversized handles or for large handles that you can insert your brush into.

c) Can you use an electric toothbrush as a denture brush?

There doesn’t seem to be any significant clinical advantage or disadvantage to using a powered toothbrush for cleaning false teeth. So if you like this idea, it can make a reasonable choice.

Research studies.

Several studies have evaluated the use of electric toothbrushes for cleaning dentures.

• A study by Andrade concluded that both conventional manual and powered brushes were equally effective in removing biofilms from the surface of false teeth.
• And while the Andrade study did not evaluate for surface roughness changes, it did state that a study by Heasman found that brushing with an electric toothbrush resulted in fewer surface scratches, due to the minimal pressure that’s needed when one is used.

That’s not to say that no abrasion takes place, or that it doesn’t if an inappropriate cleanser is chosen.

• A study by Pascaretti-Girzon (linked above) used an Oral-B electric (utilizing its pressure control sensor, a soft brush head and 2-minute brushing periods) to evaluate the potential for denture plastics abrasion.
• It found that this technique, when used with water alone, created “limited abrasion.” However, when various cleaning pastes and powders were used, all of them did result in scratching.

Further considerations.

Using a powered toothbrush might prove to be a substantial aid for people with limited manual dexterity. Due to the cost of replacement brush heads, this method is likely to be more expensive than using a manual brush.

For more information about electric toothbrushes in general, vist our pages that cover both the Sonicare and Oral-B product lines.

Denture brush care and hygiene.

Keep in mind that a perpetually moist brush will foster microorganism growth, so allow your brush to air dry between uses.

C) What type of cleanser should you use when brushing your denture?

You can increase the effectiveness of your cleaning efforts by using some type of cleansing agent on your denture brush. However, choosing the wrong type of cleaner can damage your appliance.

1) Cleansers not to use –

a) Toothpaste.

It’s bad practice to use toothpaste. That’s because most contain abrasives (like particles of silica) that can scratch plastic denture surfaces.

b) Household cleansers.

Scrubbing powders like Ajax and Comet make exceedingly poor choices. These products are excessively abrasive to denture plastic and should never be used.

2) Better choices for cleaning dentures.

a) Dishwashing Detergent.

Cleaning false teeth using some type of soap, like dishwashing liquid, is a good—and probably the best—choice. It’s cheap, non-abrasive, and most people already have some at home.

A study by Rathee states that: “There is no experimental evidence that brushing with a toothpaste or polishing paste is more efficient than using soap.”

What to use.

• You can make a soap solution by mixing a few drops of dishwashing liquid with a cup of water.
• Consider preparing a quantity of this mixture ahead of time, so it’s ready to squirt out as you need it.

b) Store-bought denture cleaners.

You’ll find plenty of commercial denture cleaning products to choose from on the shelves of your local store—both pastes and powders. That’s important because, as mentioned above, rougher denture surfaces are easier for microorganisms to adhere to and colonize.

• Commercial denture cleaners are typically formulated to be less-abrasive on plastic surfaces (as compared to regular toothpaste intended for natural teeth).
• That’s not to say that these products are always non-abrasive. Many commercial denture cleaners still contain some level of abrasive particles, such as silica and calcium carbonate, because they tend to enhance cleaning results.
• As an advantage of using this type of product, a paper by Sorgini suggests that scratch grooves created by denture paste are smoother and more rounded than those caused by toothpaste and are therefore less favorable for microorganism adherence.

Stain control.

Due to the abrasives they contain, commercial cleansers generally are better at removing stains than our dishwashing liquid recommendation above. But this comes at the expense of creating a higher level of surface damage, which may tend to make it harder to keep your dentures clean in the long run.

(When detergent is used, performing chemical cleansing after brushing, a step you should be taking anyway, can typically keep staining in check. Especially if using a bleach-based soaking solution.)

c) Baking soda.

Other than the use of dish soap, another homemade/natural alternative suggested for cleaning false teeth is baking soda (sodium bicarbonate powder).

• Just like with commercial products, using baking soda on your denture brush will cause some increased level of surface scratching.
• A study by Zilinskas (linked above) evaluated the abrasiveness of sodium bicarbonate powder on denture plastic. It was found to be more abrasive than toothpaste due to the presence of sharp undissolved crystals.
• In comparison, a study by Pascaretti-Girzon (linked above) found that baking soda toothpaste scratched plastic surfaces less so than other types due to the easily dissolved nature of the sodium bicarbonate crystals it contained.

Together, these studies seem to suggest that if you choose to brush your denture with baking soda, it would be best to mix it with water first to fully dissolve crystals, as opposed to just dabbing a damp toothbrush in the powder itself.

D) How often do you need to brush your false teeth?

As you might expect, studies show a correlation between a person’s cleaning habits and their incidence of denture-related stomatitis and traumatic ulcers (Baran). So, practicing proper denture care is important.

• Ideally, all types of dentures (full, complete, partials) should be taken out and brushed after every meal.
• If circumstances prevent you from doing that, you should at least remove your appliances and thoroughly rinse them with cool water.

Additional care.

There should be one time during the day when you give your false teeth exceptional care. This should involve both meticulous brushing, as well as cleaning and disinfection via the use of a chemical soak.

Don’t forget the rest of your mouth.

Besides just your dentures, your mouth needs cleaning too. (Remember to use a separate brush for these activities, see above.)

• The gum tissue (jaw ridges, palate) that lies underneath your dentures must be cleaned. After all, the same types of debris and microorganisms that build up inside your appliances will accumulate on them too.
• Clean and massage your gums using a soft toothbrush, a moist cloth wrapped around your finger, or, if needed, simply your finger alone.
• If you have any natural teeth, they must be brushed and flossed.
• If you wear a partial denture, pay particular attention to cleaning the teeth it clasps onto. Underneath these clasps is a protected area where dental plaque can accumulate and potentially cause a cavity. If this happens, even on just one tooth, the fit and function of your partial denture may be ruined.
• Even your tongue needs to be cleaned at least once a day. Here are instructions for doing that. Guide to tonue cleaning.

Precautions you should take when cleaning your dentures.

a) Try to prevent accidents.

It’s surprisingly easy to break false teeth by dropping them, even from just a few inches. To help prevent this, it’s a good idea to adopt a routine that includes a way to cushion their fall. Here are some suggestions:

Filling your sink with water can help cushion accidental drops.

• When brushing, hold your denture over a sink (or safer yet, a plastic dishpan) that’s been filled with a few inches of water.
• If you brush over a hard countertop, cover its surface with a fluffy folded towel.
• If you have impaired dexterity and use a suction-cup denture brush (see above), anchor it first, then place a fluffy towel underneath or around it to help prevent damage from drops. Alternatively, anchor your brush in a plastic dishpan and add a few inches of water for cushioning.

b) Other needed denture-care precautions.

• Dentures should not be allowed to dry out. If they do, their fit may change. False teeth should either be kept in your mouth or fully immersed in water or a soaking solution.
• Don’t expose your appliances to elevated temperatures (this includes soaking or rinsing in hot water). If you do, their fit may change.

---

Our affiliate links can be used to shop for  denture care products  on  Amazon.com

---

---