Retainers get dirty and exhaust with use. Retainer will change in look, fitting, and will get dirty like our shoes. No matter how well you clean and brush your teeth, some bacteria are always present in the mouth. Bacteria are the main reason plaque and are part of normal flora. Read the article to know tips to clean retainers.
Tips to Clean Retainers
1.) Vinegar to Clean Retainers
Steps to Follow:
- Mix white distilled vinegar and lukewarm tap water in equal amounts in a cup.
- Now, immerse your retainer for ten to twenty minutes.
- After immersing, brush your retainer softly with a soft bristle toothbrush, and clean it carefully in lukewarm water.
- Vinegar has the property to kill germs.
- Vinegar also stops the building of white plaque.
- The drawback of this method is that your retainer will not smell or taste very good afterwards.
2.) Hydrogen Peroxide to Clean Retainers
Steps to Follow:
- Mix 3% hydrogen peroxide and lukewarm tap water in equal amount.
- Now, saturate your retainer for at least thirty minutes.
- Then clean properly with lukewarm water.
- The bacteria present on the retainers are killed by the hydrogen peroxide.
- It will not be very effective in cleaning white plaque build-up.
3.) Mouthwash to Clean Retainers
Steps to Follow:
- You can mix equal parts of water and mouthwash.
- The combination will kill bacteria and free your retainer from bad smell.
- Make sure you go for mouthwash that doesn’t contain alcohol, which can be injurious to the plastic of your retainer.
- Soak your retainers in mouthwash sometimes, but daily soaking in mouthwash might damage your retainer.
4.) Toothbrush to Clean Retainers
Steps to Follow:
- Each night, just use a small amount of dish-washing detergent or toothpaste and clean your retainers with a very mild bristle toothbrush.
- In this way you can keep your retainer clean.
- This method will not prevent white plaque buildup and don’t kill the harmful bacteria unless you clean the retainer carefully every day.
- If you have a clear aligner tray or a transparent retainer, then cleaning with a toothbrush is not suggested.
- This method will put small marks onto your retainer, which will ultimately turn it dull.
- Never use baking soda to wash your retainer, as it is too harsh and will scratch it.
5.) Sonic Brite to Clean Retainers
Steps to Follow:
- Sonic brite is a popular retainer cleaning powder that comes with the best quality sonic cleaner.
- It is a not only kills bacteria on your retainer as it is quite strong in nature, but also helps to remove the most bad white plaque buildup.
- To clean your retainers with sonic brite, add one spoonful of brite powder and place it with the lukewarm tap water in a tray.
- Place your retainer into the liquid and wait for 15 ten minutes.
- After ten minutes, take out your retainer and clean it with lukewarm water.
6.) Retainer Brite to Clean Retainers
Steps to Follow:
- Retainer brite is a bubbling tablet that kills the bacteria present on your retainer and helps to stop the formation of white plaque buildup.
- You can easily carry this tablet on a trip or to your office as each one is foiled individually.
- Put one tablet into lukewarm tap water and steep your retainer in it for 15 minutes.
- Then clean it thoroughly with lukewarm water.
- You can also go for the cordless sonic cleaner that helps to move the solution deep into all the tiny gaps of your retainer for more thorough cleaning.
- Cordless brite is the product that my I use and my family too, because we travel a lot.
- Retainer brite will not remove white plaque buildup on your retainer if it is present on it from a long period of time.
- It is best for stopping the plaque buildup with day-to-day use.
