Your retainer is a removable orthodontic appliance carefully designed to maintain you teeth in their correct positions. Be sure to wear your retainers according to the instructions provided.

First 6 months: Wear your retainer at all times except for meals. Next 6 months: Wear your retainer during sleeping hours every night.
Next 6 months: Wear your retainer 3 nights per week. Indefinitely: Wear your retainer 1 night per week.

Adult patients may never be able to cut down wear of their retainers below night wear, 7 nights per week.
Adults frequently experience a greater tendency for the teeth to shift following removal of braces.

You should not cut down on the wearing of your retainer below that which will maintain proper position of your teeth, regardless of any other instructions. When you wear your retainer at night and teeth are tender, more wear is needed.

• Your clear set of retainers are to be taken out to eat. They may be left in when drinking cool liquids.
• Remove and insert your retainers carefully to avoid breaking the plastic or deforming the wires.
• Brush your retainer with toothpaste when you brush your teeth. You may also use a retainer cleaner such as Retainer Brite® to keep your retainers clean and fresh. Retainer Brite® can be ordered by visiting their website at www.retainerbrite.com.
• DO NOT expose your plastic retainers to heat - - they will warp. Use cold water to clean your retainers.
• Your retainers will lose their “plastic” taste within a few days. Soaking your retainer in mouthwash may help.
• The retainer will affect your speech initially. Leave the retainer in and your tongue will adapt to the retainer in a few days. It helps to read aloud from a book to learn to speak clearly with your new retainers.

Never wrap your retainer in a napkin when eating. It will be forgotten when you leave the table and will be thrown away.
Never place your retainer in your pocket without the retainer in its case - it will get broken.
Never leave your retainer out of its case where a pet or small child can find it. Pets love to chew on the plastic, which, to them, smells like you.
Always store your retainer in its proper case when it’s not in your mouth. This will completely solve broken retainer problems.
Always bring your retainer to your adjustment appointment.

Should you LOSE or BREAK this retainer, there will be an additional charge for us to remake this appliance. If you lose or break your retainer, contact our office as soon as possible so a replacement can be made.

If you do not wear your retainers according to instructions given, relapse (shifting) of your teeth CAN BE EXPECTED. Additional charges are made for re-treatment when retainers have not been properly worn.

Following removal of your braces and placement of your retainers, it is very important that you contact your dentist to have your teeth thoroughly cleaned and checked.