After getting my braces off, they give you those awful plastic retainers that you're suppose to wear to keep your teeth straight. I've been good about wearing them. Years later, I'm still wearing the same ones, which now kind of stink and are discolored a bit (don't really care) and have stuff on them which feels like cement.
I'm wondering what the best way to clean them is? The orthodontist told me before to use just mouthwash, but that doesn't do anything, other than make them smell like mouthwash until you wake up the next morning. I've also heard denture cleaner, the little tablets you throw into water. But, I haven't tried that yet. Does anyone have any good ideas as to what to clean them with? I know I'm not going to get the cement-like substance off of them totally, but just anything to some-what clean them would be helpful. Thanks!
By Ashley C.
I think you need to be careful of heat, because could warp the retainer. So don't try very hot water. So I would try the denture tablets.
Try 50% vinegar and 50% water, my dentist recommended this for a denture soak, works really well.
Stain Away by Regent labs. 10 times better than any denture tablet. First time i would soak overnight. Usual time is 5 to 10 minutes soak. when done, pour solution into toilet and let soak for a sparkling place to potty.
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I lost my retainers and later found them to be in the trash can. It was wrapped around in a napkin. What should I use to wash it? Would regular soap be OK?
Wow, Carro....I think you should probably call your orthodontist for this one. Soap and hot water might be fine...but to be safe, call your orthodontist :):)
I'd try soaking them in Listerine. If that kills germs in your mouth, it should also kill germs from the trashcan.
I once put my son's retainer in boiling water to disinfect it and ruined it. Ask your orthodontist for best cleansing procedure.
The same thing happened at a restaurant I worked at several years ago. A big family had a dinner & the daughter had a retainer she put in a paper dinner napkin, that got thrown out with the trash after the meal was over & they'd left. The Asst. Manager was the unlucky person to have to search thru that night's trash bags for the retainer.
I would wash with warm soapy water and then soak in room temp Vinegar! That is how we treat nebulizer pieces. Vinegar is a disinfectant. It can be white or cider.
This is a plus as it is also a deodorizer.
My granddaughter who has a retainer soaks hers in Polident.
Wash them in warm ( not hot) soapy water and soak in vinegar or do as my grand daughter does hers and use Polident for dentures for soaking her retainer.
Garbage cans can be the worst harborers of germs of every possible kinds. Don't rely on anything other than boiling water, if the retainer is wire. If plastic, call the orthdontist for some solution to buy. Reg. soap will NOT be reliable for the most harmful germs, virus, fungus, etc. You'd not want to get TB or worse, so be very cautious. It's your health and could be your life at stake. Good luck and God bless you. : )
wash it as you would your hands with antibacterial soap, rinsing well and stick it in the mouth...whenever something like this happens, I always think of those clips you see on TV where the people from "wherever" live in the worse proverty and filth and you know what...they survive!! A little trash can is never going to kill you...
The best solution would be to take it to the dentist's office. They have a solution that they can soak it in, used daily for everything they can't autoclave with heat, and in eight hours it gets things STERILE. They have very good test data done by the EPA to prove that known pathogens are killed completely by the glutaraldehyde solutions when used properly.
My son's puffer suffered the same accident. We were told to wash it with hot soap and water (which gets rid of most of the germs), then rub a good amount of hand sanitizer all over it (making sure to get in the cracks). Let the sanitizer dry thoroughly and then rinse in warm water. Hand sanitizer is basically gelled alcohol, which kills just about all viruses and bacteria.
I would just use a toothbrush and dish detergent and clean it really well. Do NOT use warm water, it will warp the plastic on your retainer!
Soaking your retainer in baking soda water works really well to clean your retainers and get rid of oders.
Can you use hand sanitizer to get germs off a partial that I dropped in the garbage disposal
I would wash it with very hot water and dish soap. You could even run it through the dishwasher to sanitize it. I wouldn't use hand sanitizer in a case like this.
I have recently had my braces removed. I have 2 retainers I have to wear every night. The only retainer cleaner I have ever used is from Aquafresh. They are denture tablets, you soak them in a tablet and hot water. The thing is I can rarely find this product. Does anyone know of another way to clean your retainers? Soap and water is a no-no.
You can use any brand of denture cleaner.
We used the CVS brand denture tablets for our son.
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I have recently had my braces removed. I have 2 retainers I have to wear every night. The only retainer cleaner I have ever used is from Aquafresh.
