How To Clean Retainers

How To Clean Retainers
Posted on 01/07/2020

At Lindsey Orthodontics, we're proud to help patients throughout Griffin, Locust Grove, and the surrounding areas achieve beautiful, healthy smiles through orthodontic treatment. How you take care of your teeth, braces, and Invisalign aligners is critical to the success of your treatment, and that includes thoroughly cleaning them. But as many patients know, treatment doesn't end once you finish with braces or Invisalign, and cleaning is still just important – which leaves many people wondering, "How do I clean my retainers?"

How Do I Clean My Retainers?

When you're finally able to trade in your braces for retainers, we know you'll be excited. And you should be: after all, your new smile is finally here! But this exciting phase in treatment will still require you to take good care of your teeth and keep your oral appliances clean. 

Thankfully, cleaning your retainers is easy. The most important step is to be sure to brush your retainers with a toothbrush and a small dab of toothpaste anytime you remove them from your mouth or put them back in. This will help prevent the buildup of bacteria on the retainers, keeping them fresher and cleaner. 

However, you'll also want to give your retainers a periodic deep clean. For this, we recommend soaking your retainers in a glass of tap water with either a denture-cleaning tablet or some hydrogen peroxide mixed in. This will remove any deposits of calcium, food, or bacteria that may have been slowly building up over time, giving your retainers a "reset" on cleanliness. 

Contact Lindsey Orthodontics Today!

We hope this guide makes it easy for you to keep your retainers, teeth, and smile in tip-top shape, and by following these instructions and keeping your retainers clean, you'll be helping to safeguard your new smile for a lifetime. However, if you still need help, we're always here. Feel free to contact us with any other questions you have on retainer care or to schedule a check-up appointment at our office. We can't wait to hear from you, and we look forward to helping you achieve your dream smile!