Retainer Cleaning???

[Mako]

I have recently got my metal braces off and am in hawley retainers.. I find that plaque is building up daily and washing them and brushing them is not quite working.

Are there any home remedies? I heard water and vinegar works..

Any help???

[Zoso]

Brushing with a toothbrush and your normal toothpaste is the first and best thing you can do - if you brush the retainer every time you brush your teeth, that is a big help. When you are eating at home, you can also soak your retainer in a mixture of equal parts water and Listerine to help keep it clean.

The last suggestion I would make depends whether your retainer has little extra wires soldered on - if it does, this should not be used at all, or at most should be used only for a minute or so, and only very rarely indeed: RetainerBrite or similar products are great for removing plaque build-up on retainers, but unfortunately will corrode solder points if they are present. If there are no solder points, I think it is OK to use these products for brief (again only a minute or two) soaks on a slightly more frequent basis. Honestly though, if you are careful about brushing regularly, you shouldn't need it.

[mariahfromchicago]

I heard that Listerine weakens the acrylic part (the coloured part of the retainer).

[eatyourpeas]

My ortho also told me not to soak in listerine but said it's okay to rinse. As Zoso recommends, a mix of water and listerine may nots be as disagreeable to the acrylic. I've never done this so I don't know.

I just brush and rinse mine when ever I brush. I occasionally use a cleaning tablet that is recommended for retainers. I will soak mine in that for about 3 minutes once every week or two.

[Zoso]

Orthodontists obviously differ on this question. I shared the Listerine/water soak on orthodontist recommendation.

[katesmom]

My ortho gave me a product called RetainerFresh to clean my retainer. I find it works very well.

[Zoso]

I couldn't find any information on the web regarding the ingredients in this RetainerFresh (which alone annoys me) so I would therefore advise anyone who has a Hawley retainer that has extra wires soldered onto it to exercise caustion about using this product - if it is at all similar in composition to RetainerBrite or Polident, then it is likely it would erode the solder, and cause those additional wires to detach.

[18daystobrace]

Use an electric brush to clean the plaque.

[Stephanie]

brushing the retainer seems to be the winner.. the appliance that vibrates with water and solution has corroded retainer solder points as zoso said... if it hasnt corroded to the point to where they broke, than it definetely weaked it... these appliances i think are better suited for dentures and such...

[JMarq]

Try SonicBrite or Retainer Brite, ive heard nothing but good things about those two and ill be using at least one of those products when my braces come off in about a week...the only downside to them is what Zoso said about the solder becoming weak...but for essix retainer wearers i would try it.