Talking About Health And Medical

It's easy to think of your dentures as less susceptible to stains and damage than your natural teeth were. After all, your dentures can't get cavities or tooth infections. But your dentures can still be affected by plaque buildup, and this can cause yellow, gray, green, or even black stains to appear on your dentures. You can avoid most of this by cleaning your dentures diligently every day. However, if you do develop stains on your dentures, there are some home remedies that you can use to bring them back to their former level of whiteness. Take a look at some of the most effective home whitening remedies for your dentures.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is an effective whitening agent, which is why it can often be found in toothpastes. It's not a good idea to scrub your dentures with dry baking soda, because it's abrasive and can scratch the surface of your dentures. However, you can use a toothpaste that contains baking soda, or you can create your own paste by mixing baking soda with dish soap. Just combine the two ingredients in a dish to form a paste, and use your toothbrush to scrub the paste over your dentures in a circular motion.

If you want an extra whitening kick, skip the dish soap and make a paste of baking soda and peroxide instead. That way, you'll have two whitening agents working to remove the stains from your dentures. Make sure to rinse the paste off thoroughly with warm water before putting the dentures back in your mouth or in their container to soak overnight.

Orange Peels

If you're looking for something to do with your leftover orange peels, you may be able to use them to remove some stains and buildup on your dentures. That may sound strange, but the truth is that some people even use orange peels to whiten their natural teeth. That's because the peel contains limonene, which can be used as a cleaning solvent. And unlike the rest of the orange, the peels aren't acidic enough to cause damage to the material.

Be sure that you've washed the orange before peeling it. Just rub the inside of the orange peel over your dentures. Make sure that you get the pink part as well as the teeth. Then throw the peels away and brush and rinse the teeth the way that you normally would.

Aluminum Foil

Another whitening trick that many people are using on their natural teeth that can also work on dentures is one that involves wrapping them in aluminum foil. This home whitening method involves making a paste of baking soda and toothpaste, applying it to your teeth, and then covering them in aluminum foil for an hour. This is not easy to do with teeth that are in your mouth, and if you've ever bitten down on aluminum foil, you know that it's probably not the most pleasant experience, either. However, it's much easier to do with dentures.

Just spread the aluminum foil out on a flat surface. Mix the toothpaste and baking soda and spread it onto the aluminum foil. Then place your dentures on the sheet of aluminum foil (use separate sheets for upper and lower dentures) and wrap the dentures up in the paste-coated foil and let the mixture sit. When you unwrap the dentures, take your toothbrush and gently brush up and down, then rinse thoroughly in warm water. This method works well to remove set-in stains and severe yellowing; however, it's not a quick method, so make sure that you have plenty of time to wait for your dentures to be cleaned.

If you find that you can't remove stains with home or over-the-counter remedies, ask your dentist for help. Your dentist may have an ultrasonic machine that can remove the most difficult stains. For more information, contact a company like Bristol Dental Group.