Ultrasonic Retainer & Denture Cleaner

For anyone who wears a denture, retainer or night guard and is tired of scrubbing it every night only to have it still smell.

Put it in the tank with plain water, close the lid and press one button. About six minutes later, the film a brush slides over has been shaken loose from the tiny pores in the plastic. Water is enough most weeks. On heavier weeks, add a cleaning tablet (sold separately) and watch it fizz.

Will yours fit?

The basket is a circle about three inches across. One appliance at a time: a full or partial denture, or a single upper or lower retainer or night guard, lies flat. A two-piece sleep appliance, with connectors joining the arches, will not fit.

Why brushing is not enough

Dentures, retainers and night guards are porous. A brush works the surface, which is why an appliance can look clean and still smell — what causes the odor has settled into pores below the surface, where bristles cannot reach.

Ultrasonic cleaning works differently. A plate beneath the tank vibrates faster than you can hear, forming microscopic bubbles throughout the water. Each one collapses against whatever is sitting in the tank, and that collapse dislodges what is lodged there. The water goes everywhere, so the bubbles go with it. It is the same principle used on surgical instruments and jewelry.

We ran a well-used night guard through a plain-water cycle before writing this. The water came out cloudy — that is soft film and debris coming off. The hardened mineral deposits on the biting surfaces stayed exactly where they were. Water shifts the soft material; mineral buildup needs a cleaning tablet, and some of it will not come off at all.

Water alone handles most weeks. A cleaning tablet for the heavier ones. Never toothpaste, which is abrasive, and never hot water.

The lid holds a UV lamp on its own switch, with a five-minute cycle. Everything we tell you about cleaning on this page is about the ultrasonic, because that is the part we tested.

Sound

The ultrasonic frequency itself is above hearing, but the housing hums while it runs — a little louder than an electric toothbrush. You will know it is on. It stops on its own after a few minutes.

Using it

Add water to the fill line before plugging it in — running the unit dry is what damages these. Put the appliance in, close the lid, press power. It starts a countdown, and the clock button steps through 90, 180, 360 and 480 seconds. When it finishes, unplug it before lifting the appliance out, then empty the tank and dry it. Do not leave it running unattended.

What it will not do

It will not whiten anything — staining that has soaked into the plastic is in the plastic. It will not remove hardened mineral buildup on its own. It will not repair a scratched appliance, because scratches hold debris and no amount of cleaning empties them. And it will not save an appliance that has reached the end of its life; one that has gone yellow and crusted at the back is a replacement conversation with your dentist, not a cleaning problem.

Common questions

Does the UV lamp sterilize my appliance?
We do not make that claim. Sterilization has a specific clinical meaning — the elimination of all microbial life — and it is not a word we will use without evidence we can show you. The lamp is there and it runs a five-minute cycle. The cleaning we can speak to is the ultrasonic.

Can I use it for anything else?
Yes. Rings, earrings, glasses, watch bracelets, toothbrush heads, coins. Anything that might fade, or that has loose stones, should stay out.

Do I need the cleaning tablets?
Not for ordinary weekly cleaning — water does that. You want them for mineral buildup, after an illness, or when an appliance has been sitting in a case longer than it should have.

What if it doesn't work for me?
Send it back within 30 days and we pay the return postage.

42kHz · 210ml tank · 304 stainless steel liner · 90 / 180 / 360 / 480-second cycles · 4.4in cube, 1.1lb