What's the Best Way to Clean My Retainer?

Now that your braces are off, you have retainers to help maintain all the hard work you've done over the past few years. Wearing your retainers as prescribed by your orthodontist is extremely important to maintaining your results and the longevity of your beautiful smile.

You may have noticed that over time your retainer can appear dull or even have an unpleasant smell. The best way to keep this from happening is by cleaning your retainer regularly. Ideally, you need to clean your retainer every time you take it out of your mouth and before you put it back in for the night. If you take your retainer out to have a snack or even to drink something, it is best to brush your teeth before putting the retainer back in. The food that is left on your teeth will transfer onto your retainer. Over time that food will harden and removing it from your retainer will be difficult.

So, how do you clean your retainers and what do you use? Luckily, you will not need any special materials to clean your retainer. You can use the same cleaners that you use on your own teeth. Be sure that you always use cold water, use toothpaste and a toothbrush, scrub all surfaces of your retainer, and then rinse them thoroughly. If you feel like your retainer needs some "freshening" you can fill a small bowl with cold water and add Listerine or Scope to help sterilize the retainers. You can even add a cap full of Hydrogen Peroxide to the cold water if you would like.

Replacement retainers can be very expensive; making their care extremely important. Following these simple guidelines can help keep your retainers in their best condition possible as well as keeping your smile beautiful for a lifetime.

Chalice Fraser, RDA
www.smileteam4u.com