drinking alcohol and a few other questions

[dydx]

Hi everyone

with the holidays approaching comes time with family and friends that I haven't been able to see for a while. What is the etiquette for drinking alcohol with retainers in 24/7? I have an essix for daytime and hawley for night. I have had this setup for about 7 weeks now. I also have an additional somewhat broken essix (one tooth slot needed to be trimmed at the bottom) that I can use as a backup. I had actually been using this one when I was out for a night drinking, but now I'm seeing cracks in it but not sure if this is related to the beer or to the trimming that my ortho had done.

So what is best to do? I will probably have nights out of 5,6,7 hours with beer being consumed.

Also, how do people with essix manage when they aren't able to brush after a meal (maybe out at a restaurant or out with friends and cant brush). Ive tried to just swish and put my essix back in but it feels quite nasty while it's in there.

Lastly, I'm using Efferdent tablets to clean my retainers every couple of days but my essix is always cloudy - does anyone have any tips.

Thanks!

[Snowglobe32]

Sorry for the late response!

I wouldn't wear the retainer at all if you are drinking and/or can't brush after eating....food can get trapped and cause cavities. Plus, who knows what alcohol can do to a retainer. Also, it's the holiday's...enjoy the fun times. If you know you won't be wearing them for a few hours at night, wear them all day until the celebration. Having your retainers out for 7 hours isn't going to do anything...its when people lack on wear time that causes issues.