Jaeyoung is an oral health educator and dental disease preventer passionate about paving the way for patients to embark on their journey to proper oral hygiene. She graduated from UNC School of Dentistry in 2018 and served on the UNC SOD SPURGEON Student Government.
She's always trying to keep up with new dental research articles and products to help her patients choose compatible products that work with their lifestyles. She's also a coffee lover and mom to two Bengal cats and multiple plants! Catch up with her on her Instagram.
Dental Hygienist Jaeyoung Yoo evaluates what retainers are for and why you need to be careful when taking care of them.
There are three different types of retainers: Hawley retainers, clear plastic retainers (Essix, Vivera, or others), or fixed or bonded retainers. In this article, we will discuss how to keep plastic retainers clean.
After the long journey of orthodontics treatment, your orthodontist will make you a retainer that is needed to retain the shape and position of all your teeth. Some people also have retainers to wear at night to prevent jaw pain from clenching and grinding.
We all have bacteria in our mouths, but we keep our oral health in good shape by flossing and brushing. The retainers hug your teeth tightly, so your teeth can quickly build up bacteria and tartar. These bacteria, or plaque, will get into the grooves and buildup in the retainers while in usage and can lead to strange odors and gunk buildup.
Retainers can also get stained easily. It's important that patients keep their retainers clean for fresher breath and a healthier mouth. Brushing the retainers alone or soaking them in mouthwash will not get rid of the stains and all of the bacteria.
In fact, soaking retainers in mouthwash that contains alcohol can harm your retainers' plastic structure. To effectively remove bacteria and stains in retainers, a retainer cleaner is needed. Another benefit of using a retainer cleaner would be to kill cocci bacteria.
According to a study on Essix retainers, researchers found that tablets were effective at removing Streptococcus bacteria which causes strep throat. Take a look below for suggestions on what kinds of products you can buy to clean your retainers!
Image | 1 ![]() guardClean | 2 ![]() DentaSOAK | 3 ![]() Regent Labs | 4 ![]() Fresh Guard by Efferdent | 5 ![]() EverSmile | 6 ![]() OAP | 7 ![]() Smile Again | 8 ![]() Avistar | 9 ![]() Retainer Brite |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Mouthguard, Aligner and Retainer Cleaning Spray | Mouthpiece, Retainer, Denture, & Appliance Cleaner | Kleenite Multipurpose Dental Cleanser | Soak for Guards, Retainers & Clear Braces | WhiteFoam Clear Retainer Cleaner | Anti-Bacterial Cleaning Solution | Retainer Cleaner and Disinfectant | Retainer & Denture Cleaning Tablets | Cleaning Tablets |
Features | Our Best Pick! An All-Natural Spray Cleaner with Peppermint Oil | Gentle, Non-Toxic Week-Long Cleaner | Adjust Amount and Time Based on Cleaning Needs | Convenient Powder for Retainer Nooks and Crannies | No Soaking or Rinsing Required for Easy Cleaning | Foaming Cleaner That Works in Just One Minute! | Candida-Killing Solution That Lasts for More Than a Week | 5 Months of Easy-to-Pack Cleaning | Convenient Tablets for Everyday Use |
Price | $10.99 | $18.99 | $7.69 | $7.00 | $24.99 | $16.99 | $34.95 | $16.97 | $19.99 |
Amount | 2 oz. | 13 packets | 9 oz. | 24 packets | 1.69 fl. oz. | 1.5 fl. oz. | 22 packets | 150 tablets | 120 tablets |
Compatibility | All | All | All | All | Clear aligners & retainers | Clear aligners | All | All | All |
Type | Spray | Liquid and powder | Powder | Powder | Foam | Foam | Powder | Tablets | Tablets |
Persulfate-free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Link |
Here are our top 9 picks for retainer cleaners that come in all different forms. It includes a lot of persulfate-free options, too!
※These rankings were decided based on user reviews and popular rank lists from Amazon gathered on July 1st. Please note that these products were not picked by Jaeyoung Yoo, but chosen through extensive research and by combing through customer reviews by our staff at mybest.
$10.99
Amount | 2 oz. |
---|---|
Compatibility | All |
Type | Spray |
Persulfate-free | Yes |
$18.99
Amount | 13 packets |
---|---|
Compatibility | All |
Type | Liquid and powder |
Persulfate-free | Yes |
$7.69
Amount | 9 oz. |
---|---|
Compatibility | All |
Type | Powder |
Persulfate-free | Yes |
$7.00
Amount | 24 packets |
---|---|
Compatibility | All |
Type | Powder |
Persulfate-free | Yes |
$24.99
Amount | 1.69 fl. oz. |
---|---|
Compatibility | Clear aligners & retainers |
Type | Foam |
Persulfate-free | Yes |
$16.99
Amount | 1.5 fl. oz. |
---|---|
Compatibility | Clear aligners |
Type | Foam |
Persulfate-free | Yes |
$34.95
Amount | 22 packets |
---|---|
Compatibility | All |
Type | Powder |
Persulfate-free | No |
$16.97
Amount | 150 tablets |
---|---|
Compatibility | All |
Type | Tablets |
Persulfate-free | No |
$19.99
Amount | 120 tablets |
---|---|
Compatibility | All |
Type | Tablets |
Persulfate-free | No |
Points to Consider:
Pastes work much like a less abrasive toothpaste—just add it to your toothbrush and brush down your retainer. For sprays and pastes, how well they travel depends largely on the size.
Try to keep your retainer wet at all times when it’s out of your mouth–allowing it to dry out can compromise the plastic. Finally, don’t forget to clean your case regularly. Even if your retainer is clean, if it’s in a dirty case you’re still exposing it to germs.
Orthodontists recommend that you clean your retainers every week when it's new. After a couple of weeks, it is recommended that retainers are cleaned using retainer cleaner products every few days.
Always read the instructions on these products. Retainers can be worn down from daily wear, clenching, grinding, and, depending on the amount of pressure and force that is put on it, they may need to be replaced every six months to a few years.
For patients who have just finished their orthodontics treatment, it's recommended that retainers are worn for the whole day for at least three months straight to create a rigid bone structure. Once the bone structure is more rigid, patients can then wear it only nightly.
If not done so, teeth will shift back to their original structure. Having more than one retainer case can help keep them clean. Some people may forget their case and end up wrapping it in napkins or paper towels which will be easier to accidentally throw away than having it in an actual case, so be very careful.
You can't always have a clean retainer on hand, so here are some options to keep that halitosis at bay all day long.
Author: Jacqueline Oshiro
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