• Wear your retainers full time and until a member of TeamMCO states otherwise.  Usually wear is 24 hours for the one to three months, then tapering down to nightly wear.
• Take your retainers out when eating and brushing… and always put retainers in their case! (Most appliances are lost in school lunchrooms, napkins, or restaurants.)
• Clean retainers thoroughly once a day with a toothbrush without toothpaste (toothpaste has an abrasive that will wear down the retainer). Use warm but not hot water. Brushing retainers removes the plaque and eliminates odors. Efferdent® or other orthodontic appliance cleaners can be used, but they do not take the place of brushing.
• When retainers are not in your mouth, they should ALWAYS be in a retainer case. Pets love to chew on them.
• Initially, you may find it difficult to speak. Practice speaking, reading, or singing out loud to get used to them faster.
• Retainers are breakable, so treat them with care. If retainers are lost or broken, call us immediately.
• If you have any questions or concerns about your retainers, or your retainers need adjusting, call us. Do not try to adjust them yourself.
• Always bring your retainers to your appointments.
• Retainer replacement is expensive… with proper care, they will last for years!
• If your fixed lingual retainer comes loose, do not cut it.  Get in touch with us immediately to have it rebonded to prevent relapse.  There is a very different fee for glue replacement versus full retainer replacement.
• Keep the model for your retainer so you can reorder one from how your teeth finished when the braces came off. This will also save you a model replacement charge.
• Remove retainers when playing sports, but be sure to use a mouthguard.
• Enjoy your new smile, but remember that this is the end of your braces, not your orthodontic treatment :).
• To keep your teeth straight, you will eventually want to keep wearing the retainers at night indefinitely. Ask about our MCO Retainer Warranty Program to help maintain your smile  with great savings!  Those people you see walking around with straight teeth have a secret... they still wear their retainers EVERY night!

Back to Top