How Do You Clean A Retainer?

For most removable retainers, the supplies fit in a drawer: a soft toothbrush, cool water and the case. To clean a retainer each day, you rinse it, brush it gently and let it dry in its case. A few times a week it should also get a longer soak in a cleaner made for retainers. Bonded retainers are different because they never come out. These are thin wires glued behind your front teeth, and you clean them the way you clean your teeth, brushing carefully and threading floss under the wire. Most of what follows depends on which kind you were given.

Clear Essix retainers

Clear retainers, which some people call Essix retainers, fit the teeth so closely that a film forms on them overnight. The patients whose retainers still look new after a year tend to rinse them the second they come out in the morning. Then they brush them inside and out with a soft brush used only for the retainer. Plain unscented soap works well, and so does any cleaner that isn’t abrasive. Regular toothpaste is slightly gritty. After a few weeks it leaves fine scratches where bacteria collect and the plastic goes hazy.

Heat is the other thing I warn people about, whether it comes from hot tap water, the dishwasher or a dashboard in a Durham July. Once a clear retainer warps, it can’t hold your teeth where they belong.

Hawley retainers

Hawley retainers are tougher than clear ones. Plaque still builds up on the acrylic, though, especially on the part that rests against the roof of your mouth. I ask patients to brush every surface and around the wires, rinse well and soak it in retainer cleaner on a regular schedule. It’s also a good idea to look at the wires every so often. If one has been bent, or the retainer suddenly feels loose, please bring it in. Trying to bend it back at the kitchen table usually makes things worse. Our types of retainers page shows what each kind looks like.

Fixed retainers behind the front teeth

A fixed retainer is cleaned while it stays in your mouth. I suggest running the brush along the wire with the bristles angled toward the gums. After that, work a floss threader or a water flosser between the teeth and under the wire. Tartar builds up quickly behind the lower front teeth, which is one reason dental cleanings still matter after braces come off. If the wire comes loose from a tooth, give us a call. Research on fixed retainer failures shows that these wires do break over time, and catching a break early keeps the teeth from drifting.

Not sure which type you have, or how it should feel? Call my Durham office. Call (919) 403-0790 or request a free consultation online.

The retainer care tool

Answer a few questions and this tool builds a cleaning and wear routine for your type of retainer. It also reminds you of the steps people tend to forget.

Where retainers get lost or broken

In my experience more retainers are lost in restaurant napkins than anywhere else. A retainer wrapped in paper on a lunch tray gets thrown out when the tray is cleared. One carried loose in a jeans pocket or a backpack usually comes out cracked. For some reason dogs love to chew them, so an open case on the nightstand is risky in a house with a dog.

Mouthwash with alcohol or dye can dry out or stain the plastic. Boiling water ruins a clear retainer in seconds, and I once watched one fold up like a potato chip in a coffee mug. When you want a deeper clean than brushing gives, a soak in retainer cleaner is the safe choice. It fits easily into the time you spend in the shower. Our retainer care page has more tips, including what to do about a retainer that feels tight.

When cleaning isn’t enough

Some damage can’t be fixed with cleaning. That includes a crack, warping or a haze that stays no matter how long the retainer soaks. If a retainer no longer fits snugly, has split, or still smells after a proper clean, it needs to be replaced. Clear retainers usually wear out before Hawleys, and even faster in people who grind their teeth at night. Cleveland Clinic’s retainer overview explains why steady wear matters for keeping teeth in place. While you wait for a replacement, keep wearing the old one unless I tell you otherwise. A worn retainer still holds your teeth better than one sitting in its case.

Food and drinks

Removable retainers should come out for meals. Any drink other than plain water can carry sugar or acid under the plastic and hold it against the enamel for hours. So I ask patients to take the retainer out for juice, soda and coffee as well, or at least to rinse well afterward. A quick brush before it goes back in keeps both the teeth and the retainer cleaner.

Kids at school and adults who grind

For a child who wears a retainer through the school day, a sturdy case with their name on it helps a lot. Keep the routine simple enough to manage without a parent. Adults who grind at night often wear through clear retainers faster than they expect. If that sounds like you, let me know, because a different design may last longer.

Teens who play sports usually take the retainer out for games and practice. That’s fine as long as it goes into its case in the gym bag, not a sock or a jersey pocket.

Building the habit

I rarely see people struggle with the cleaning technique itself. The routine is the hard part. The patients who do well connect the retainer to something they already do every day. In the morning it comes out, gets rinsed and sits in its case next to the toothbrush. At night it gets brushed along with the teeth before it goes back in.

A few small habits make this easier. A spare case in the car or a work bag helps with meals out. The retainer brush should be replaced every few months, just like a toothbrush. If you share a bathroom, labelling the case avoids mix-ups. These details may seem obvious, but they keep a retainer clean, in one piece and actually being worn. That retainer protects everything you and your family put into straightening those teeth.

Who is writing this

I’m Dr. Clay VanderWall, an orthodontist with offices in Durham, Raleigh and Cary. I earned my DDS with honors from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry and completed a three-year orthodontic residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. I also served on active duty in the U.S. Navy as a dentist. My bio page has more about my training.

Retainer cleaning questions

Book a retainer check with VanderWall Orthodontics

Our office in Durham, close to Hope Valley and Southpoint, sees families from Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, and our Raleigh and Cary locations serve North Hills, North Ridge, Greystone, North Raleigh, Midtown, Durant Trails, Wake Forest, Lochmere, MacGregor Downs, Regency, Apex and Morrisville. If your retainer doesn’t fit right, we can check it and talk about a replacement.

Call VanderWall Orthodontics in Durham about your retainer. Call (919) 403-0790 or request a free consultation online.