Posted on January 23, 2023
If you want to take care of your teeth, you need to take care of your retainer. A lot of of people with retainers wear them every night. If you’re looking to take better care of your retainer, here are a few tips to try.
The best thing you can do if you want to maintain a healthy smile is to wear your retainer often. It’s not uncommon for people to stop wearing their retainer after they stop visiting an orthodontist. However, you will want to avoid doing that. Not wearing your retainer can cause your teeth to revert back to their original positions, or a potentially worse position than they were before. Wearing your retainer will keep your money from being spent on another orthodontic treatment in the future.
When your braces are off and you get your retainer, your orthodontist will probably provide general guidelines for cleaning and taking care of your retainer. Follow the schedule your orthodontist provides and make sure to keep your retainer clean to promote good oral hygiene.
If you know somebody who’s had braces before, you might know that you shouldn’t eat with a retainer in. Taking your retainer out when you eat helps keep it clean while making it easier to eat. You should always remove your retainer when you’re eating to avoid damage to your retainer and your teeth. Just be careful not to throw your retainer away with other food waste.
Believe it or not, heat can cause serious damage to retainers. If you’re the type who enjoys a hot beverage or likes to eat food fresh out of the oven or microwave, you might want to let things cool off a bit before you dive in. Excessive heat can damage your retainers, especially with repeated exposure.
Retainers don’t last forever, and heat and other sources of damage can seriously shorten the lifespan of your retainer. If your braces have been off for a while and your retainer is getting old and worn out, talk to your orthodontist about getting a replacement retainer.
Dental care is one of the cornerstones of your overall health. If your teeth are misaligned and causing you problems, you should visit an orthodontist to discuss braces, retainers, and other orthodontic care. Give Orthodontics LA a call to learn more about fixing your teeth today.
