Retainers

[devil mushroom]

Hey everyone I'm new here. Nice to meet you all.[img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]


This is just a quick question but an important one. Obviously as an emet I want to keep my mouth as free of germs as possible, however I'm worried about getting germs (or re-establishing old ones) through my retainer that I have to wear at night.


I have some sterilizer that I've been thinking about keeping it in for the daytime but I don't know if that's wise to do or safe. I would just put it in boiling water but I don't think that would be very effective (ok for toothbrushes but for something I have to wear all night I really would prefer stronger protection).


Any help would be much appreciated.

[worrygirl]

I continue to wear my retainer at night pretty regularlyso my teeth don't shift. I soak it in denture cleaner once-twice a week and I brush it with toothpaste otherwise. I just make sure I wash my hands before I pop it out in the morning. Oh, and welcome to the site!

[sage]

welcome, devil. At the top of this section of the forum there's a sticky post that says "Facts about noroviruses - don't be afraid". Check that out. You'll find that viruses that cause vomiting aren't transmitted through saliva anyway, and it's highly doubtful your retainer could somehow make you sick.


Take care.

[spilled_milk]

hey my retainer that i wear at night is filthy. not with food..it's just really old, and not that clean anymore. eew!!! but so far, it hasnt' done anything to me.


<3 Anya--

[xxsophiaxx]

WELL... I soak mine in denture cleaner, Polident, every night. And it seems to work well. Whatever you do, DO NOT use boiling water on your retainers, it's bad for the plastic.


I have a different question - what do you do w/ retainers that were in your mouth while you v*d? [img]smileys/smilies_09.gif[/img]

[worrygirl]

Ewwww, pop it out at the first sign of n* before you v*!!!!!

[xxsophiaxx]

the n* came RAPIDLY!! lol you don't understand... I almost v*d on the carpet in my bedroom I had to run LIGHTING SPEED just to make it to the sink in the bathroom [img]smileys/smilies_06.gif[/img]

[worrygirl]

yikes,I dunno. I don't know what you could use to sterilize it. Good question for the orthodontist.

[xxsophiaxx]

their soaking in retainer cleaner now... but really, if I'd had the n* prior to that I would've taken them out! that's what I usually do. But this hit me soo fast like BAM! I woke up and next thing I knew I was in the bathroom. That's what's scary about v*, you have no time to prepare. LACK OF CONTROL

[spilled_milk]

I think the retainer cleanser should be fine, but maybe soak it in some really steaming hot water also if you want to make doubly sure? Also, you could maybe not wear it for a bit.


<3 Anya--

[xxsophiaxx]

I haven't worn it since Sunday 1 AM. Which is bad cuz I wear it on a nightly basis, been doing so since July 2003 when I first got them. I don't want my teeth to move too much.

[spilled_milk]

hah lemme tell you a story. One year I went to camp for three weeks. I didn't wear my retainers because I forgot them. Now, my teeth did move a little, but not too bad and my retainers still fit!! Just wear them soon.


<3 Anya--

[xxsophiaxx]

OK I wore them last night. It was just fine.

[sage]

sophia, mix 1 tbsp household bleach with one quart or litre of water (warm or cold) and then scrub them thoroughly with this mixture and/or let them soak in it overnight. Rinse really really well to get any bleach off it. This will kill absolutely everything.


Take care.

[xxsophiaxx]

thank you, Sage. What i'm mostly worried about is relapsing. And v* in public. This is so crazy, before this last episode on Sunday I was doing sooooooo much incredibly better w/ emets. This was the worst time to be sick too, the semester ends next Monday [img]smileys/smilies_06.gif[/img]

[helenhd]

i just got a retainer too and i've been wondering how to keep it clean too!

[devil mushroom]

sophia, mix 1 tbsp household bleach with one quart or litre of water (warm or cold) and then scrub them thoroughly with this mixture and/or let them soak in it overnight. Rinse really really well to get any bleach off it. This will kill absolutely everything.


Take care.

Sure that's safe with the bleach?


Just want to make sure. You tried this method?

[victoria018]

hey my retainer that i wear at night is filthy. not with food..it's just really old, and not that clean anymore. eew!!! but so far, it hasnt' done anything to me.


<3 Anya--

Lol Anya, so is mine! I've had mine for a couple of years now and it's not that clean. It hasn't done anything to me either.

[snoozy]

I had some tablets called Retainer Brite (see http://www.dentakit.com/retainerbrite.html) which I got from my orthadontist. I used the tablets probably once a month, but cleaned (read scrubbed)my retainer every morning and every night with toothpaste and toothbrush.


Sometimes, despite excessively rinsing, and scrubbing with toothpaste, and rinsing, and scrubbing and rinsing again, I felt unwell(just n*, not v*)when I put them back in my mouth after using the tablets, so I dunno if I just had a reaction to it or what.