How to Care for Your Retainer

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You've already suffered through the uncontrollable drooling and the gooey stuff they stuck in your mouth to make your retainer—that should be incentive enough to take care of the one you've got, right?

Step 1: Brush retainer
Using toothpaste, brush your retainer with your toothbrush or retainer brush in the morning and evening.

Tip
Soaking your retainer in mouthwash a few times a day will help kill off germs.

Step 2: Remove to eat
Always remove your retainer when you eat.

Tip
Keep a spare container in the kitchen and/or dining room so you always have a place to keep your retainer while you eat.

Step 3: Soak in water
Soak you retainer in cool water when you are not wearing it.

Step 4: Don't bend wires
Don't bend the wires or flip the retainer around in your mouth.

Step 5: Keep in its case
Keep your retainer in its case if you are transporting it somewhere and not wearing it.

Step 6: Don't leave in heat
Never leave your retainer near a source of heat--it could melt. Then it's back to the gooey stuff...

Did You Know?
That gooey stuff is actually rubber--once it's removed from your mouth, plaster is poured over it, creating a cast used to craft your lovely plastic retainer.