Dental Retainer Care

There are few things more disgusting than a dirty retainer. Keeping your dental retainer clean is important, not only so that it remains in good condition, but so that your teeth stay clean too. Your dental retainer will be placed right up against your teeth, so it makes sense that a clean retainer correlates with clean teeth. Dirty retainers can also lead to bad breath in the same way that forgetting to brush your teeth gives you stinky breath-the bacteria living in your mouth give off waste products that contain sulfur compounds, which give your breath that horrific stench. And even if you think a breath mint will do the trick, do you really want to wear a dental retainer with bits of dirt and who knows what else clinging to it?

How do retainers get dirty in the first place?

The orthodontist probably failed to tell you this, but it's actually really easy for retainers to get dirty. Plaque and bacteria build up on the retainer rather quickly, especially when you wear it for hours. This buildup can be exacerbated if you don't brush your teeth between eating and replacing the retainer or if set the retainer down somewhere other than the case that the orthodontist gave you.

Forgetting to brush your teeth before putting in the retainer will mean that there are probably bits of food hiding between your teeth, or old plaque sticking to the teeth. This will attract bacteria that will feast on the food particles and create new plaque and foul odors.

Haphazardly setting down retainers can be just as bad for keeping the retainers clean as not brushing. The orthodontist provided you (I hope!) with a dental retainer case for a reason-to keep it clean. Supposedly clean retainers can pick up a ton of bacteria from seemingly harmless places like bathroom counters. The bacteria picked up by the retainer will go straight into your mouth when you put the retainer back on. You should also be sure to clean out your dental retainer case, so that the retainer isn't also picking up bacteria and grime from a dirty retainer case.

How do I clean my dental retainer?

Fortunately, obtaining a clean retainer is not that hard, no matter how disgusting the dental retainer be at the present moment. You'll need to buy some dental retainer cleaning solution, which is available at the orthodontist office or even in many drugstores. The brands of dental retainer cleaning solution include Retainer Brite, Denta Clean, and Retainer Fresh. Cleaning solution is not very expensive, and since it makes it quick and easy for you to get a clean retainer, the cleaning solution is worth every penny! Once you've purchased some dental retainer cleaning solution, just follow these easy steps and you'll have a clean retainer in no time!

1. Rinse the retainer in warm water

If you wear your dental retainer at night and during the day, take a moment in the morning to rinse it off. Even if you're in too much of a hurry to give the dental retainer a full cleaning, rinsing will ensure that you have at least an acceptably clean retainer.

2. Retainer Cleaning Solution

Follow the directions for whichever retainer cleaning solution you decide to use. After rinsing the retainer, place it in the cleaning solution. Soak the retainer in the cleaning solution for however long the cleaning solution instructions dictate. You should go through the whole routine for a clean retainer at least once a day, but preferably two or three times every day. You can soak the dental retainer in cleaning solution while you brush and floss your teeth, since you can't do these tasks with a retainer on anyways.

3. Rinse your dental retainer again in water before putting it back on

Many people make the mistake of putting their retainers on without washing off the retainer cleaning solution. Wearing retainers that haven't been rinsed makes about as much sense as skipping the rinse cycle on the washing machine. Retainers drenched in cleaning solution don't taste that great, and the cleaning solution is not meant to be ingested. If you accidentally swallow a bunch of retainer cleaning solution (not sure how someone would manage this, but it has happened before) call a poison control center immediately.

4. If the cleaning solution routine doesn't get you a clean retainer...

If you've tried rinsing your dental retainer in cleaning solution several times and still don't have a clean retainer, you will need to take it in to the orthodontist. The orthodontist will have your dental retainer cleaned with an ultrasonic machine at the orthodontist office. If treating the retainer in the ultrasonic machine still doesn't elicit a clean retainer, you'll need to buy a new one. It's pretty rare for people to have to buy new retainers if they've taken proper care of them.

Usually, cleaning the retainers every day will be more than enough to keep them in good shape. Even when it's impossible to get a clean retainer, an ultrasonic machine will almost always work. But sometimes there are extreme cases-usually retainers need replacing if they have gone several weeks or months without being cleaned, or if the owner was careless and sat on them or lost their dental retainer (you'd be surprised how often people break and lose retainers).

A new set of retainers is expensive, so it would be well worth your time to make sure you always have a clean retainer!