Help! Brushing teeth and fixed & essix retainers

[insmniak]

Hi all,
I was debraced 4 days ago, with my orthodontist placing a fixed retainer on the inside of my top and lower teeth. On top of that she gave me the Essix/Trutain retainers which I was told to wear 24/7 for the next 6 months, which I received two days ago.

She told me to brush my Essix retainer once a day (soft toothbrush and toothpaste) and brush my teeth morning and night. She told me not to brush my teeth after meals and to put the retainers back in, which I thought was strange since I thought any food stuck in between my teeth or in the fixed retainers would sit in the Essix retainers all day where bacteria and plaque will grow till night time brushing.

And if I only brushed my Essix retainers once a day, wouldn't it allow plaque to bacteria to grow also? This doesn't sound right to me. I thought I would have to at least brush it once in the morning when I woke up and before I go to bed or even a rinse between meals.

I wanted get a second from you guys and what your orthodontists told you to do in terms of how many times you BRUSH YOUR TEETH with the Essix and fixed retainers.
E.g. In the morning when you wake up and before you go sleep (rinsing your mouth between meals) OR,
In the morning, after all meals and before you sleep

And how many times you BRUSH YOUR ESSIX retainers, and when you did it?
E.g. Once a day - Morning or night only OR,
Twice a day - Morning and night OR,
Regularly - Morning night and after all meals

Please note, I'm wearing them 24/7. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[insmniak]

[quote="insmniak"]Hi all,
I was debraced 4 days ago, with my orthodontist placing a fixed retainer on the inside of my top and lower teeth. On top of that she gave me the Essix/Trutain retainers which I was told to wear 24/7 for the next 6 months, which I received two days ago.

She told me to brush my Essix retainer once a day (soft toothbrush and toothpaste) and brush my teeth morning and night. She told me not to brush my teeth after meals and to put the retainers back in, which I thought was strange since I thought any food stuck in between my teeth or in the fixed retainers would sit in the Essix retainers all day where bacteria and plaque will grow till night time brushing.

And if I only brushed my Essix retainers once a day, wouldn't it allow plaque to bacteria to grow also? This doesn't sound right to me. I thought I would have to at least brush it once in the morning when I woke up and before I go to bed or even a rinse between meals.

I wanted to get a second opinion from you guys and what your orthodontists told you to do in terms of how many times you BRUSH YOUR TEETH with the Essix and fixed retainers.
E.g. In the morning when you wake up and before you go sleep (rinsing your mouth between meals) OR,
In the morning, after all meals and before you sleep

And how many times you BRUSH YOUR ESSIX retainers, and when you did it?
E.g. Once a day - Morning or night only OR,
Twice a day - Morning and night OR,
Regularly - Morning night and after all meals

Please note, I'm wearing them 24/7. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! [/quote]

[plugnickel69]

I have the same setup, upper and lower fixed, and upper Essix. Was never told to brush Essix only once a day. When I was wearing fulltime, which was only for two or three weeks, I always brushed the Essix and my teeth after I ate. Couldn't imagine doing otherwise.

[Snowglobe32]

When I wore an Essix, I cleaned it every morning (usually while I was in the shower...then I would put it back in after breakfast). I would rinse it with just water when I took it out before eating.

I would definitely brush your teeth after eating and putting the retainer back in. Why she would tell you it wasn't necessary is beyond me...not brushing teeth will cause bacteria and cavities.

Brushing/cleaning the retainer multiple times a day isn't necessary if you brush your teeth after eating. When you think about it, you retainer is in your mouth all day, in your own spit....as long as your teeth are clean, it won't cause harm. Over brushing/cleaning can be bad for a retainer.

I used the fancy retainer cleaners, retainer wipes, denture cleaners and toothpaste to clean my retainers and they all worked just fine for me. I actually prefer the denture cleaner over anything else because it was cheaper and worked just as well as the fancy stuff.

So I guess, once daily cleaning (soaking) of the retainer, brushed teeth after eating if I was putting my retainer back in. I never put my retainer in without brushing teeth first.

[djspeece]

I've been in an Essix temporary retainer for about 3 weeks, so my experience is limited. I brush my retainers twice a day, at night and at noon, and brush after every meal. I soak them in denture cleaning solution once a day as well, usually in the morning as I shave, and brush them again with just the solution (no toothpaste). The only reason I can fathom why your dentist said it was unnecessary to brush after a meal was to stress the importance of getting the retainer back in your mouth, even in the event that you could not brush immediately.