How To Take Better Care Of Your Retainer
Once you are finished wearing braces, your dentist will fit you for a retainer, which you will need to wear for at least several years to keep your teeth in their new positions. Retainers can cost a few hundred dollars or more, and they need to last. Here are some ways to take better care of your retainer so it can go on serving you for as long as possible.
Brush Your Retainer
Simply rinsing the retainer off is not enough to keep it clean. Rinsing with water won't kill oral bacteria that accumulate on the retainer throughout the day. To keep your retainer cleaner, make sure you brush it with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Just avoid whitening toothpaste, as it contains abrasive ingredients that may cause damage to the retainer over time. Brush the retainer every day when you remove it before placing it in your storage container. If you wear your retainer day and night, remove it and brush it twice per day.
Use Your Case
Some people like to wrap their retainer up in a napkin or set it on a paper towel while they are eating. This may seem handy, but it also makes it easy to toss the retainer in the trash accidentally. Instead of using a napkin, carry your retainer case with you at all times so you always have a safe place to put your retainer.
Soak Your Retainer Weekly
Once a week, you should soak your retainer in a bleach solution in order to kill any germs that have worked their way into scratches on its surface. Just add a few drops of bleach to a cup of water, and soak your retainer for about 10 minutes. Let it air dry. The bleach will evaporate, and since you used so little of it, you can safely put the retainer back into your mouth.
Be Gentle When Inserting and Removing It
When you put your retainer in place, make sure you gently ease it into place rather than forcing it. If your retainer is becoming hard to get in, talk to your orthodontist — they may need to make some adjustments. Similarly, do not just jerk the retainer down when removing it from your mouth. Use your tongue and fingers to guide it out.
To learn more about proper retainer care, get in touch with an orthodontist facility like Donald E. Snyder Orthodontics. They can give you more specific recommendations suited to the type of retainer you have.
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