Removable dentures in the form of a partial or full denture require thorough and careful care to protect the remaining teeth and mucous membrane. Inadequately maintained dentures promote the accumulation of plaque and tartar. This promotes the settlement of bacteria and fungi, which have a negative effect on bad breath and oral health.
Careful hygiene is therefore mandatory for all prosthesis wearers. Removable dentures should therefore be rinsed under clean water after every meal and freed from food residues. At least once a day, but better twice a day, the denture should be cleaned with a toothbrush and appropriate cleaning agent.
Care should be taken that no toothpaste with abrasive ingredients is used. Furthermore, there are special denture brushes that are specially designed for cleaning dentures. An additional cleaning option is an ultrasonic denture cleaning device.
These special prosthesis cleaning devices are often used in dental laboratories or dental practices. They are also available for home use. The prosthesis is placed in a cleaning bath of water and special cleaning additives and then this mixture of liquids is made to vibrate by ultrasound (note: ultrasound is sound above the audible frequency range with a frequency from 16kHz).
The ultrasound produces tiny air bubbles which, when collapsing, again produce tiny pressure waves. This mixture of air bubbles and sound waves gently removes plaque, tartar and discoloration from the denture. The cleaning additive has the task of softening tartar and discoloration so that they can be removed more easily.
The cleaning in such a denture cleaning device is considered additional to the manual cleaning. If used regularly, it can extend the cleaning interval by a professional cleaning in a dental laboratory or at the family dentist or even cancel it completely. A professional denture cleaning is always a private service and must therefore be paid for by the patient.
Prosthesis cleaning devices based on ultrasound start at about 50€, whereas the cleaning effect of the very cheap devices often has to be evaluated with caution. In summary, it can be said that a prosthesis cleaning device based on ultrasound can be a good additional hygiene measure that can extend the durability of a prosthesis and improve the individual wearing comfort. However, such a device never completely avoids daily manual care.
