Retainers

So you’ve finally finished your orthodontic treatment, whether it’s our San Antonio Invisalign or our braces. You’re probably filled with excitement now that you’re entirely done with our orthodontics in San Antonio and…wait…it’s not over yet? That’s right – even when you get to take your braces off, the entire orthodontic process isn’t quite over yet. While the orthodontic treatment played a crucial role in moving your teeth into their new and beautiful alignment, the next stage here at San Antonio Orthodontics – the retention stage – is just as vital in making sure that your teeth stay in these new positions.

To ensure success in the retention stage, your orthodontists in Pleasanton & San Antonio have provided several helpful tips for proper retainer usage:

• It will take a few days to get acclimated to talking with the retainers in, which is why you should practice speaking with them in to get used to them quicker.
• Remember to clean your retainers with a toothbrush and toothpaste after every meal. If you’d like a deeper cleaning, you can also use a denture cleaner.
• You should keep your retainers in your mouth – not in your pocket. While you can remove your retainers when you’re eating, brushing your teeth, swimming, or playing contact sports, you’ll want to keep them in a retainer case so you don’t lose or damage them.
• Retainers can be very fragile so you’ll want to handle them with care and protect them.
• Much like our San Antonio Invisalign, it’s important to keep your retainers out of the reach of pets.
• Also, keep your retainers away from hot surfaces or temperatures.
• Keep retainers from hot surfaces or temperatures like hot water, pockets and dashboards.
• Don’t try to adjust your retainers yourself.
• Make sure to bring your retainers with you to your appointments.
• Retainers will only work as long as you follow your orthodontists in Pleasanton & San Antonio’s instructions. Make sure to wear them as specified.