Metal Mouth Message Board

How do you care for your retainers? The kind I have are the clear plastic kind that comes in 2 pieces and are worn at night. I don't know what they're called.

What I do is simply rinse them under cold water when I get up in the morning and then let them air dry. Is that enough. I've only had them for 3 days, and I need them to last at least 2 years.

The type of retainer you have is called an Essix Retainer.

I carry two excellent retainer cleaning products at DentaKit.com: Retainer Brite (individually wrapped tablets) and SonicBrite (powder). Generally speaking, I've found that the SonicBrite is stronger and works better if you have white calculus buildup on your retainers. For daily maintenance on retainers where white buildup is not an issue, the Retainer Brite works fine.

As Meryaten said, you could also brush them with toothpaste, if you are only wearing them at night and are not concerned about scratching them.

But no matter what you use, you should clean them every day. Otherwise, bacteria will build up in them and they will start to smell and become stained.

My ortho said not to use a toothbrush and paste to clean mine, but gave me a couple sample tablets of Retainer Brite. It costs $12 for a 3 month supply at their front desk. Then when I opened up the envelope they came in, it had all kinds of advertising for other stuff. I kind of felt like a marketing gimmick to me, so I started wondering if using any kind of "specialty" products was really necessary.

I do have a few white spots in my retainers now. I guess that will only get worse if I don't do anything about it but rinse the things under cold water like I have been.

Here's another idea that I haven't heard anything about but it sounds like a good idea. What about putting the retainers in Isopropyl alcohol, or maybe Listerine, which contains alcohol? I wouldn't think it would hurt the retainers since those products come in plastic bottles, and that's what the retainers are made of. Or maybe even soak them in hydrogen pyroxide? What do you think of these ideas?

genxsis wrote:Here's another idea that I haven't heard anything about but it sounds like a good idea. What about putting the retainers in Isopropyl alcohol, or maybe Listerine, which contains alcohol? I wouldn't think it would hurt the retainers since those products come in plastic bottles, and that's what the retainers are made of. Or maybe even soak them in hydrogen pyroxide? What do you think of these ideas?

FYI, Hawley retainers are made of acrylic. Essix retainers are made of plastic.

I have heard of people soaking their retainers in hydrogen peroxide, but that might yellow your retainers over time. Anyone have any experience with that?

Yep! Mine are indeed the essix type. Other than using toothbrush and paste, would there be any harm in using Listerine or isopropyl alchohol?

Hi Gen,
I get my braces on Tuesday 27th, but I have been wearing an Essix type bite plate for almost 2 years now. Take it from me, 1st--don't use any kind of mouthwash to soak them in that is colored. I did once, and they turned green and stayed that way. I talked my dentist into getting me another set made free of charge. 2nd, the white calcium build up can actually give you a nasty infection in your mouth. Remember, it's warm and wet inside there, and a great breeding ground. 3rd, you will know if your retainers are clean if there is no taste to them at all. They are all made of a hypo-allergenic plastic that when clean, shouldn't have a smell. Good luck on cleaning them. I myself use a gel toothepaste and a super soft brush to clean mine. And it works for me.

Mott

Hey! Ya know what? I've been seeing a few spots of white in my retainer, and now you've identified what that is: Calcium buildup. I've had my retainers for a week now, and it looks like I'm off to a bad start! I guess I'll have to start brushing them. I did try to brush at the white spots with an old interproxial brush but had no results. I ended up concluding that the white spot was part of the retainer. Whoops!

Thank you! I had thought it was calcium because I only put the retainers on right after I brush my teeth for the night. I guess I'm not brushing as well as I like to think I am.