What’s the best way to clean your retainer?
Oral hygiene is a very important part of your morning and night-time routine. Whether you have a retainer or braces, you should make sure to maintain a good method in order to keep everything squeaky-clean. So in this blog, we will discuss the right and wrong methods needed to keep your retainer clean!
How often should I clean my retainer?
To keep your retainer germ-free, you should clean it every time you brush your teeth. Then at the end of the week, you should have a deeper clean to kill any germs that may have been left. Other than the time of day, there are some noticeable signs that your appliance needs a clean, which are:
- If the retainer if discoloured or has a ‘cloudy’ look to it,
- If it has a bad taste or smell,
- If there are pieces of food or plaque/tartar around and inside the retainer.
How do I clean my retainer?
The best way you can keep your aligners clean is to brush them using cool water and light dish soap or a specialised retainer cleaner. While it is perfectly fine for your teeth, cleaning a retainer using toothpaste isn’t such a good idea as it’s coarse texture can actually cause some damage, by scratching the surface of the appliance. You may use a toothbrush to clean your retainer but make sure that it has soft bristles. You should have a separate toothbrush for your retainers so that any dirt from your teeth doesn’t get transferred into the appliance.
After brushing your appliance you may want to use a cotton bud to reach any tight spaces so that you can ensure no grime will be left behind!
What shouldn’t I do?
- Don’t use a disinfectant wipe; the chemical inside can damage the surface of your teeth,
- Don’t put them in the dishwasher, or boiling water. The high temperatures will melt the plastic of your retainer and warp the shape,
- Don’t use freezing cold water to clean your retainers as this can cause them to crack,
- Don’t use mouthwash to clean as like the wipes, they can cause damage,
- While this isn’t to do with cleaning, please don’t leave your retainer lying around the house because we all know that if you have a dog, it will probably chew on it! So when you take out your retainer, don’t leave it on a piece of tissue or your bedside table, put it in its case so that it won't dry out or get lost.
If you need a retainer or have any questions regarding one, then make sure you contact us !
- Mohammad Malik
