Caring for your Permanent Retainer

Many of our patients come in with permanent retainers, which are strands or braids of wire glued to the back of your teeth, either on the top or the bottom. Lower permanent retainers are more prevalent than upper, because often patients bite in such a way that precludes the use of upper fixed retainers.

There are pros and cons to permanent retainers—mainly, you don’t need to think about taking them in and out, but you do need to think about cleaning them. So, here are some tips on how to clean your permanent retainer.

BRUSH (really well). For more info on brushing your permanent retainer, see this website here.

FLOSS (really well). We recommend SuperFloss, which you can pick up at any drug store or grocery store in the tooth care section. It’s precut strands of floss that resemble a shoestring with a hard plastic tip on one end. You can get up under the wire of your permanent retainer and floss, then slide the SuperFloss back out.

SEE YOUR HYGENIST AND DENTIST regularly. They can get all the built up plaque out of those nooks and crannies. It’s especially important to see them each 6 months when you have a permanent retainer.

More questions? Ask your orthodontist; we’ll be happy to give you more tips!