After you remove your braces, to keep your teeth aligned, retainers are recommended. Little bay Invisalign treatment is inclusive of this to keep dentition intact.
Because retainers are usually fitted in the mouth, they are in contact with all the mouth receives. This is quite expected since they’re made from porous and absorbing materials. For this reason, you should have it cleaned regularly.
Contrary to what you might believe, what you use and how you do it is crucial to the process. There are quite resultful substances and techniques to use. Read on to know the best ways to have your retainer cleansed.
Page Contents:
1. Start With Water
Moisture is essential to keeping your retainer in its best shape. It’s built for a wet environment, so placing it in a dry environment is bad.
Although water won’t do the perfect job, gulping a lot of it would help prevent bacteria growth. Considering the relevance of water to tooth decay, keeping your mouth wet will help combat that.
If you don’t remove your retainer while eating, you can make sure to wash it off with water after.
2. Denture Cleaners
You can safely clean your retainers with denture cleaners at least twice a week. To do this, rinse the retainer and dip it in a denture cleaner for roughly 18 to 20 minutes. On removal, scrub lightly with a soft bristle toothbrush. Finally, soak in a nonalcoholic mouthwash for 20 minutes.
Although after continual use, they might change the color of a retainer to yellow.
3. Castile Soap
There are always complaints about the unpleasant aftertaste and smell of some cleaners. Fortunately, it’s not the same with castile soap. With this, you maintain the freshness of your retainer.
Castile soap contains coconut and olive oils. Spray the solution in the bowl of distilled water you have your retainer soaked in.
4. Vinegar
The mixture of white vinegar and warm water helps remove odors and leftovers. Prepare this in a small container and place your retainer in it for twenty minutes.
After some minutes, your retainer may express some film-like deposits. You can remove them by washing them off. Place it in again for another 20 minutes. To counter the intense smell of vinegar, perform cleaning outside with a disposable container.
5. Baking Soda
Here is the whitening disinfectant for your retainer. It helps to keep bacteria at bay with mild actions. Mix baking soda with little water before use. Make the mixture sticky enough to remain on the retainer. After some time, remove baking soda with a soft brush and rinse off.
6. Retainer Cleaner
A few retainers come alongside their cleansers. They are a good substitute for homemade solutions. When you purchase a new retainer, check the label for steps of application.
However, some products might raise teeth sensitivity. So, ask a dentist for product recommendations.
Conclusion
There are several misconceptions about modes for cleaning retainers. While some hold to some degree, others don’t. Chemicals like hydrogen peroxide, toothpaste, alcoholic mouthwash, and persulphates are dangerous to your retainer.
Before getting a product, confirm it’s appropriate and effective from your doctor. Sometimes retainers can become too dirty or you’re unable to clean them. When that happens you can order a replacement clear retainer online.
