Originally Posted by Dejibo

My mom has had dentures for most of her adult life, and does the strangest things for health care. She is one of those "wives tale folks" that follows some weird things. anyway, I digress...my question is...

Can you bleach dentures safely? About once a month, she will remove her dentures, and pop them into a bleach bath. She used to do it more frequently when she smoked, but has long since quit. She swears it keeps them white, bright, and sanitized. She has had the same pair for a long time, but I worry about how caustic bleach can be to the dental material used to make her dentures. Will it cause them to wear out? make them fragile? Are there ill effects to her mouth tissues? She hasnt reported any, and swears that she rinses them really well, but soaking anything in full strength bleach cant be a good thing...can it?

btw, she does brush them everyday, and uses mouth wash or dental bath stuff to soak them at night. I have told her that her nightly soak should be enough to keep them white and bright, but she swears bleach kills more bacteria and keeps her mouth healthy. YUCK!