Cleaning, Prepping Teeth and Bones?

[Former_Member]

Hi team,

So glad I found you! :-) I have a bunch of moose teeth that I'd like to clean up and use in my jewellery, probably partially embedded in resin or in sterling bezels. The teeth are all grungy and dirty, they're from found dead animals.

So what is the best process for cleaning and prepping them to sanitize them as well as make them stable to use in my work.

thanks for your help!
~brenda

[Former_Member]

Boil in water with ivory soap for 15 min then put them in bleach over night.Hope this helps.

[Former_Member]

I would wash them thoroughly in hot water and dish soap - soaking them longer if they still appear dark colored after you get the external grime off (just replace the hot water regularly). Then cover in 3% hydrogen peroxide for a few hours or overnight to whiten. Bleach eventually destroys bones, not sure if it's bad for teeth too but peroxide is probably safer.

[Former_Member]

Hydrogen peroxide is the best thing to use for bones and teeth. You can use up to 35% if you want faster results, but you will need to use gloves (that strength will burn your skin) and rinse the parts off with water before you handel them. Household bleach will brake down the enamel on the teeth and cause it to flake off and split prematurely. Using a thin coat of resin is a great way to preserve your items, on smaller things you can even use clear nail polish.

[ShadyufoStudios]

NEVER USE BLEACH ON BONES!! It will destroy them over time, even if you just soak them briefly. As others above have said, hydrogen peroxide is the only way to go. If the bones are dirty you can give them a bath in warm soapy water first (Dawn is best) and then soak them in peroxide.

Good luck with your project! :)

[Chymiera]

great info all!

[TheDameOfTheDead]

I will keep this in mind in case I start to use bones in work...

[Former_Member]

Absolutely NEVER use bleach on bones or teeth. Even after they dry, the bleach will continue to eat away at them. Just use hydrogen peroxide and water. Let them soak for as long as it takes for them to get to be the tone of white you want them to be. This also sanitizes them.

Also, be careful cooking them. No matter how gentle the process my seem. Some teeth (and bones) crack, warp and fall apart. I lost some large elk teeth this way slow cooking them in a crock pot.

I have a lifetime of experience collecting and cleaning teeth and bones. But I actually had a teeth related photo project some time ago where I got a lot of experience with a large variety of animal and human teeth.

My "Nothing But Teeth" photo project:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gato-ranch/sets/72157622469273110/

[Former_Member]

Finally posted a blog related to this:

http://bone-lust.blogspot.com/2011/08/extracting-teeth-from-bone.html

[Former_Member]

When I worked at a beauty supply store, we used to have taxidermists come in and purchase peroxide developer (what you mix with hair color) to clean bones. Has anyone ever tried this? Im guessing it's similar to peroxide... I have 2 deer jaws that have HEAVY grass staining & dirt staining on them, as I suspect they were outdoors for a LONG time... I don't think their ever going to come clean... And if you DID use bleach, is there a way to try and "deactivate" it from continuing to eat away? I know this thread is super old, but new suggestions would be much appreciated! Thanks guys!!

[sagefoxjewels]

I'd soak them in peroxide for awhile, you can use brown bottle peroxide (you can get it at the dollar store) and soak it for a few days, or go ahead and get the expensive stuff with developer (that works best when exposed to heat). That's how I got my goat teeth clean, and usually they'll have brown junk on them which can be gently scraped off.
I wouldn't boil them, boiling is way too harsh and I know it'll split canine teeth on carnivores but I don't know if it would also split molars.

[Former_Member]

thanks! I will try the soak & scrape thing. I think that the dirt is just stained in to the bone now.. but i haven't tried peroxide yet, so keeping my fingers crossed!

[Former_Member]

using the peroxide paste for hair is kind of like using teeth whitener, if you know what I mean.

like the gel strips you'd use on your own teeth :)

I also scrub mine down, first with hot water and dawn dish soap, then with an old toothbrush and some whitening toothpaste. soaking them in hot water with peroxide also whitens them.

teeth can crack though- boiling them they will definitely crack. and bleach degrades bone and teeth as well. never boil or bleach bones or teeth if you want to preserve them.

[Former_Member]

I know this thread is quite old, but I'm just wondering, is it best to store teeth in jars with lids (so no air) or without lids, so it always "has" air?

[Former_Member]

The longevity of enamel or bone is not changed by the presence of fresh or stale air. Unless you are planning to vacuum seal the jar to remove all of the atmosphere it will make no difference.