With the teeth straightening process comes the responsibility to properly clean your teeth and retainers to maintain good oral hygiene. Retainers are made from plastic and wire; both plastic and wire-bound retainers are delicate and need daily cleaning and washing. Patients’ most common question about their retainers is how and when they have to clean them.

Retainers are delicate and can easily get torn off if you do not take proper care of them. Not taking good care of your retainers can also harm your teeth straightening process. There are some common steps that you should follow to clean your retainers. 

You should always wash your retainers before putting them back in your mouth. In addition, after having a meal, you should always wash and brush your teeth and retainers to ensure there are no debris or food particles between them. 

Not only this, it is vital to clean your retainers with lukewarm water after you have taken them out of your mouth to ensure that they are properly cleaned, and you can wear them again. Moreover, if you see plaque build-up or stain on your retainers, you can soak them in a dishwashing shop and clean them lightly with a soft brush. You can do this method every once a week to properly disinfect your retainers.

What are the advantages of cleaning your retainers often?