Today we will talk about how to take care of your orthodontic appliances. You’re going to learn how to properly clean them as well as what solutions to use. So that we can maintain the safety and longevity of your orthodontic appliance.

What the solution is

Whether you currently wear a night guard or clear aligners like Invisalign, or have a retainer at home, we like to recommend using a solution called retainer clean tablet. This product is fabulous because it is safe for your retainers and the reason why we also like is because it actually cleans a lot of different types of devices. So double check your products and make sure that the clear aligners actually can tolerate the solution that you’re using.

How to use

What you’re going to do is drop a tablet into some warm water. You’ll know that the solution is ready to go once it has turned blue and it’s fizzing at the top. So you can go ahead and take your night guard and drop it on in, as well as your clear aligners or retainers and just drop them on in. You’ll start to see at the bottom that there are bubbles and that is actually the cleaning process.

This whole cleaning process actually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. It’s going to start off as a dark blue solution and then it is going to gradually fade to a more clearly transparent color. Once the solution is completely clear and transparent it’s actually done, you can take your retainers out of the solution.

Once they’re finished, you grab your retainers and rinse them underneath just some cold water. I suggest to rinse your retainers once a day under cold water. It’ll help diminish those bad breath bacteria. So do the same for your night guard as well. This will also help prevent any saliva, mineral build-up that may occur on your devices.

Another way to clean

Now an old-fashioned way to clean your retainers in your night guards is to actually just brush them with a normal toothbrush and clear soap. Toothpaste and colored soap are not suggested just because those two things can actually discolor your devices. So be very mindful with what you’re using. When you actually are cleaning them always use a soft toothbrush. Don’t brush too vigorously but just enough to get into all the nooks and crannies, and clean everything off. Use a separate toothbrush for this since it solely has soap on it. Once it’s clean, you can put them in the case to air dry and that completes.