Caring for Your Kid’s Retainers 

Once your kids have their braces removed, it’s time for the retention stage of orthodontic treatment. This stage is extremely important because it helps keep your kids maintain their newly straightened teeth from the months of wearing braces. How long your kids will have to wear retainers will be determined by their orthodontist. However, it’s important that in addition to wearing retainers as often as told, that they are well taken care of so that they can do the job of keeping teeth in place. Here are some steps you can take to help your kids take care of them properly. 

Cleaning: Keeping retainers clean is just as important as making sure that your kids use a clean toothbrush while brushing. You can rinse them with warm water after each use but avoid using the toothbrush and toothpaste for cleaning. You can ask your orthodontist if there is a retainer cleaner that they would recommend. Contact your local orthodontist for proper instructions on how to clean and care for your kid’s retainer safely. 

Wearing: Making sure that your kids wear their retainers as much as possible is very important so that all the months of wearing braces won’t end up being for no reason. Remind your kids that the only way they’ll know if their retainers are doing a proper job is if they wear their retainers as their orthodontist has advised them to do so. They should get into a routine of wearing them after they’ve had breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When your kids are wearing and taking them off, make sure that they’re being careful so they don’t damage their retainers or hurt the inside of their mouth. When kids aren’t wearing their retainers they must keep them in a case or some type of safe place preferably a strong box.

Heat: Your kids must keep their retainers away from heat. Retainers should never be placed in the car, on windowsills, or placed in boiling water. Leaving them in heated areas can cause them to melt and then they won’t fit properly on your kid’s teeth.

Pets: If your family has pets, then you must keep your kid’s retainers away from pets. They can chew on them causing them to get damaged or broken and then they definitely won’t fit properly and you’ll be left with having to bring your kid in to get fitted again for a new set. This means taking time out of your schedule and putting down more money, which we want you to avoid.   

Replacing: Over time, your kid’s retainers can wear out, get damaged, or stop fitting properly. When any of these things happen, then it will be time to replace them so that they can do the job of keeping your kid’s teeth in the proper place. 

Eating & Brushing: Lastly, kids must remember to take their braces off before they eat any kind of food or before drinking any beverage because this helps them avoid any damage or stains to their retainer. Once kids have eaten, they should brush their teeth if possible or at least rinse and clean their teeth as much as possible before placing the retainers back on their teeth. By doing this it will prevent the retainers from getting dirty too quickly and allowing food to get stuck to the surface of their teeth.