One of the most important parts of orthodontics is wearing the retainer once your actual treatment plan is complete. We understand you may not want to wear it or simply forget to put it in your mouth, but if you don’t wear it as we recommend, your gorgeously straight teeth are going to shift. Then guess what? The braces may have to be reapplied to your teeth again.
At first, you typically wear the retainer all the time except when eating and brushing your teeth. Over the course of time, you eventually will only need to wear it at night. This is typically where it gets tricky to remember to put wear it. To help you, here are five ways to remember to wear your retainer:
#1: Ask friends and family to remind you.
Probably the easiest way to make sure you wear your retainer is to ask friends at school and family at home to remind you. At school, pick a good friend who eats lunch with you to remind you to wear it if he or she notices you don’t have it in your mouth. That’s a good friend!
#2: Place a note on your mirrors.
If you have a note on the mirrors you use the most – bathroom and bedroom – you are much more likely to remember to put your retainer back in your mouth.
#3: Set a reminder or alarm on your cellular phone.
Setting a reminder on your cell phone is a great way to remember your retainer. The best time to set the reminder is about 30 minutes before you typically go to bed. If you forget or go to bed early, your alarm will still go off.
#4: Keep your retainer case in plain view.
You can also place your retainer case where you see it as a reminder. We recommend keeping it on your bathroom counter. Note that it is easy to accidentally throw your retainer away with lunch at school. Keeping the case where you can see it also helps you avoid tossing it in the trash. Don’t forget, never wrap your retaining up in a napkin or paper towel, and always use the case.
You don’t have to wear your retainer forever. The purpose is to give your teeth time to adjust to their new positions and allow the bones to stabilize around the teeth. If you forget to wear your retainer occasionally, don’t worry too much. It won’t compromise our work; however, not wearing it for an extended period of time may create issues. So, make sure you are diligent about wearing it.
We worked hard to give you a beautiful and confident smile. It’s up to you to keep it that way!
