The Technology

How ultrasonic cleaning actually works

Crestarize devices drive high-frequency sound waves through the water in the tank. At 42,000 cycles per second, the pressure changes faster than the water can follow, so it repeatedly tears open into millions of microscopic cavities and collapses again. This is called cavitation.

Each of those collapses releases a small burst of energy. Multiplied across millions of bubbles covering every surface of your appliance — including the undercuts, the wire junctions and the deep molar grooves — that energy lifts plaque, protein film and mineral buildup away from the plastic.

Why this beats brushing

A toothbrush can only clean where the bristles physically reach, and it cleans by abrasion. On soft appliance plastic that means micro-scratches, which trap more bacteria and accelerate staining. Cavitation never touches the surface, so there is nothing to scratch.

Why this beats soaking alone

A cleaning tablet is chemistry with no mechanics. It will kill bacteria sitting on the outside of the biofilm, but it does not lift the biofilm itself. That is why a soaked-only appliance goes cloudy again within days. Used together — tablet plus cavitation — the chemistry loosens and the mechanics remove.

Why we don't use UV

UV light only disinfects what it can directly illuminate. In a tank containing any debris at all, the light is scattered and absorbed before it reaches the far side of the appliance, and anything in a groove or shadow is untouched. UV is a reasonable storage accessory for an already-clean, dry appliance. It is not a cleaning method.

The published research

Ultrasonic cleaning of oral appliances has been studied independently. Rather than paraphrase, we would encourage you to read the primary literature on ultrasonic and vibration-bath cleaning of orthodontic acrylic, clear aligners, sports mouthguards and dentures, which is available through PubMed Central and similar databases.

What that body of work broadly supports: ultrasonic treatment is effective at removing bacterial biofilm from oral appliances, and is more effective at it than brushing or chemical soaking alone.

What we do not claim

Crestarize devices are household cleaning appliances. They are not medical devices, they are not FDA-cleared, and we make no claim that they diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you have a specific clinical concern about your appliance, your dentist is the right person to ask.