Retainer Wear and Care
Wear Schedule
Wear your retainer full-time except to eat, drink, brush your teeth, or play sports.
Reduce to nightly wear after two months of full-time wear.
Drink only cold or room temperature plain water while wearing your retainer.
Care and Maintenance
Brush your retainer inside and out with a toothbrush, water, and gentle soap.
Avoid abrasive toothpastes, whitening pastes, denture cleaners or soaking your retainer in mouthwash.
Avoid using boiling water to clean or “sterilize” your retainer – this can warp your retainer. If you have a bonded “glued-in” retainer, then brush the wire and gently floss in between your teeth – don’t tug up on the floss as this can break the glue off.
Retainer cleaner helps to kill odor-causing bacteria and “freshen” your retainer every couple weeks or when necessary. Buy Polident or Efferdent retainer cleaners at your local drugstore.
Handling and Storage
In Your Face, or In Your Case - Store it in your retainer case when not being worn.
Pets love retainers and retainer cases! Keep them out of reach.
Avoid leaving your retainer on a table, in a napkin, or in your pocket where it can be easily lost or broken.
Use only your fingers to put in and remove your retainer. Do not bite your retainer into place as this could distort or break your retainer.
Avoid flipping your retainer with your tongue as this can cause excess wear and damage to your teeth and early breakage of your retainer. Careful insertion and removal will help maximize the lifespan of your retainer.
Loss or Damage
Contact us ASAP following a lost or broken retainer to minimize tooth movement.
Replacement retainers are available from $350 each. Ask our team about the Worry-Free Retainer Program.
Contact our office if your retainer stops fitting snuggly.
