Orthodontic Retainers

preserving Your new smile with retainers

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Congratulations on getting your braces off! Seeing your new smile is exciting and you should feel proud of your accomplishment. It is important to understand that you must protect your hard work and investment. Teeth tend to shift naturally as you age unless they are properly maintained with wearing orthodontic retainers. Dr. Rucker will select the best type of retainers for you and give instructions on proper wear so that your new smile will last a lifetime.

Retainer Wear & Cleaning Instructions

  1. Wear your retainers full-time, day and night, until Dr. Rucker instructs otherwise
  2. Brush your retainers at least once daily with a toothbrush and warm water
  3. NEVER put your retainers in hot or boiling water
  4. When retainers are not in your mouth they should always be in a retainer case
    • It's best to rinse your retainers with water before storing them in a case
    • Retainers are most commonly thrown away by mistake during lunch or eaten by pets
    • Retainers are breakable and may be costly to replace, so treat them with care
    • Never try to adjust your retainers yourself as this will likely cause permanent damage
    • With proper wear and maintenance your retainers should last years
  5. Call us immediately if you lose or break your retainers
  6. Always remember to bring your retainers to your appointments
  7. Soak your retainers in a 50:50 solution of distilled vinegar and warm water for 15-20 minutes at least once per month
*Do NOT boil - Do NOT use hot water - Do NOT place in dishwasher

Retainer Cleaning Tablets

Many patients ask if there is something else they can do to keep their retainers clean and odor free. If you are looking for a product to help keep your retainers as fresh as the day you got them, Dr. Rucker recommends using a retainer cleaning tablet. Retainer Brite is a retainer cleaning tablet that effectively kills bacteria known to cause bad breath and helps keep your retainers tartar and odor free.

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