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Retainer Care and Maintenance

Live Life Smiling

retainer-care
  • Holmes and Palmer Orthodontics
  • October 20, 2022

 

BRACES-OFF DAY will get here much sooner than you think, provided that you’re following the orthodontist’s instructions, but that won’t be the end of your orthodontic treatment. To keep the properly aligned smile you’ve worked so hard for, you’ll need to be diligent in wearing your retainers. There are many differences between braces and retainers, including the best ways to take care of them.

Why Is It Important to Clean a Retainer?

Just like our teeth, a retainer will accumulate bacteria, plaque, and tartar over time unless it is cleaned. We keep it from building up on our teeth by brushing and flossing, and we have to clean retainers regularly too or they will soon become filmy, cloudy, foul-tasting, smelly, and covered in white spots.

If you have a removable retainer, you should rinse it with cool water and brush it with gentle soap at least once a day. Floss around a permanent retainer to keep tartar from building up around it. Threaders make flossing around them easier, as do water flossers.

How to Deep-Clean a Retainer

aily cleanings can only do so much, however, which is why it’s important to give your retainer the occasional deep clean to keep it good as new. The hygienist will do the deep cleaning for you at your regular appointments if you have a bonded retainer, but cleaning a removable retainer at home is simple and cheap.

If you want to get special retainer cleaning tablets you can, but a simple mixture of water and baking soda will do the job very well, or water and vinegar, or hydrogen peroxide. Simply soak the retainer for a few minutes, then rinse it and let it dry. A warning, though: never use hot water or harsh chemicals like bleach!

How to Store Your Retainer

Unlike braces, retainers are often only a part-time orthodontic appliance, so storage is important. Harmful bacteria thrive in warm, damp enclosed environments — such as the inside of a closed retainer case. Keep your retainer somewhere safe and cool where it can dry fully between uses. (That’s also how you should store your toothbrush.)

Some types of retainers do better soaking in water instead of being left to dry out, so make sure to check with us about care tips for your type of retainer.

Do Retainers Really Matter?

Teeth can drift over time, so yes, retainers are important. The supporting structures holding our teeth into the jawbone take time to get used to the post-braces position. Wearing retainers as directed by the orthodontist is the best way to ensure that your jaws get used to the new position of teeth and so that they don’t start moving in new directions.

Bring Us Your Retainer Questions!

No matter what kind of retainer you have, from bonded to removable, from wire and acrylic to clear plastic, we’re here to answer your questions about their care and maintenance. Retention is a critical stage of your orthodontic treatment, and we want to help you have the best possible experience and result!

Congrats on moving from braces to retainers!

Top image by Flickr user VSPYCC used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

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Patient reviews

EVERY SMILE TELLS A SPECIAL STORY

We are thankful for the opportunity to serve our community with excellent care and take pride in our mission of having a patient-centered philosophy. Check out what our patients are saying about us!

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Sara L.
Homes and Palmer have taken care of all four of my children and giving them beautiful straight teeth!! I appreciate the time, effort and love they put into their patients! We are grateful to them and their dedication to being fabulous orthodontists!
Sara L.
Homes and Palmer have taken care of all four of my children and giving them beautiful straight teeth!! I appreciate the time, effort and love they put into their patients! We are grateful to them and their dedication to being fabulous orthodontists!
Sara L.
Homes and Palmer have taken care of all four of my children and giving them beautiful straight teeth!! I appreciate the time, effort and love they put into their patients! We are grateful to them and their dedication to being fabulous orthodontists!
Sara L.
Homes and Palmer have taken care of all four of my children and giving them beautiful straight teeth!! I appreciate the time, effort and love they put into their patients! We are grateful to them and their dedication to being fabulous orthodontists!
Sara L.
Homes and Palmer have taken care of all four of my children and giving them beautiful straight teeth!! I appreciate the time, effort and love they put into their patients! We are grateful to them and their dedication to being fabulous orthodontists!
Meghan D.
My son has been a patient for over 2 years and has had nothing but excellent care and communication. We are excited to start the braces journey this month.
Meghan D.
My son has been a patient for over 2 years and has had nothing but excellent care and communication. We are excited to start the braces journey this month.
Rebecca M.
Everyone was very friendly, answered all questions, and very efficient! Gave us all the information we needed for this experience.
Sara W.
We are thrilled with the service at Holmes & Palmer Orthodontics! My son got his braces on a few months ago, and the entire process was seamless. The initial consult was extremely informative. The process of getting them on was efficient; they made sure he was comfortable and knew what was happening with each step. 10/10 - highly recommend
Sara W.
We are thrilled with the service at Holmes & Palmer Orthodontics! My son got his braces on a few months ago, and the entire process was seamless. The initial consult was extremely informative. The process of getting them on was efficient; they made sure he was comfortable and knew what was happening with each step. 10/10 - highly recommend
Gail B.
The entire staff is stellar. I had been told previously that my bottom teeth could not be corrected, but Dr. Palmer took a second look and is going to try. Makes me very happy.
Gail B.
The entire staff is stellar. I had been told previously that my bottom teeth could not be corrected, but Dr. Palmer took a second look and is going to try. Makes me very happy.
Kimberly N.
We moved to WV FROM NC and were worried about finding a orthodontist to pick up where we left off, and Dr.Palmer and Dr.Homes made us feel so welcome and comfortable.
We are thankful!
Kimberly N.
We moved to WV FROM NC and were worried about finding a orthodontist to pick up where we left off, and Dr.Palmer and Dr.Homes made us feel so welcome and comfortable.
We are thankful!
Jennifer P.
They are the best. So friendly and nice. My daughter never dreads her visits. They also make it very fun with a brace bucks program. Highly recommend!
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