Proper denture care depends partly on using a denture soak to clean and disinfect your dentures. It can help prevent stomatitis, angular cheilitis, and bad breath associated with dentures. But you may wonder whether commercial denture soaks are best or if you should use a homemade formula that you will know exactly what’s in it.

Although there are denture soak formulas you can make at home, there are benefits to commercial denture soaks.

Dentures sitting in glass bowl to be clean

Homemade Denture Soak Formulas

There are two commonly recommended formulas for homemade denture soaks: a bleach solution and a vinegar solution. The bleach solution is made using one part bleach and ten parts water. Water softener can be added to help remove tartar, which is mostly calcium carbonate.

This works to kill bacteria on your denture, but there are some concerns:

  • You have to carefully rinse your dentures afterward because bleach can irritate your gums
  • Daily use will lead to discoloration of gums
  • Can encourage corrosion of metal parts (normally only found in a partial denture)

Because of these concerns, the American Dental Association (ADA) doesn’t recommend a bleach-based denture soak.

Another alternative is the vinegar based soak. A 50-50 mix of vinegar and water isn’t as effective as an antibacterial solution, but it is more effective at removing tartar and food from your dentures.

However, like bleach, vinegar can encourage corrosion of metal parts of a denture.

Benefits of Commercial Denture Soaks

But do you really want to be making your own denture soak. Commercial denture soaks have been certified by the ADA to meet certain standards, including:

  • Full disclosure of ingredients
  • Claims of efficacy have all been verified by clinical studies
  • They have at least one clinical study showing effectiveness as cleaner
  • The soak is safe for use according to instructions
  • Will not damage dentures

As a result, it’s probably best to use commercial denture soak formulas most of the time, and save the homemade formulas for emergencies.