Wearing your retainer on a nightly basis sounds simple, but it’s often a lot easier said than done!
It’s that time of year again when families are preparing their holiday photoshoots, so it’s an important time for post-care patients to make sure that their teeth are looking perfect. And although your orthodontic treatment will undoubtedly give you a beautiful smile, it’s important to remember how your retainer usage is going to solidify your treatment results.
It’s easy to see how difficult it can be to remember to wear your retainer, especially when you have a busy schedule and are really tired around bedtime. Although it won’t be too big of a problem if you skip a night of retainer usage, you will put yourself at risk of dental issues later in the future if you never wear your retainer.
No one wants their teeth to shift back to their original positions shortly after going through the orthodontic treatment process, and that’s why all of us at JK Orthodontics want to help our patients with their post-care routines.
Below are some tips to help you remember to wear your retainer on a nightly basis!
Setting An Alarm
What’s great is that there are countless ways to set alarms for ourselves, including through our phones, computers, watches, and even digital alarm clocks. Simply setting an actual alarm for yourself will give you that real reminder that you may need when it comes to wearing your retainer.
Our advice is that these alarms should be set for around the time that you usually brush your teeth and start heading to sleep. We also suggest making this a daily alarm, so you don’t have to remind yourself to establish your reminders.
But by simply setting a retainer alarm, you can establish a routine that you rarely break—which is a huge boost for your treatment’s results!
Making Notes
You or your child could also consider placing visible notes around your bathroom and bedroom that act as noticeable reminders toward retainer usage. Good places for these notes would be your nightstand or bathroom mirror.
Sometimes these little notes are all that you’ll need to remind yourself about your retainer while you’re brushing your teeth at night!
Writing Down Retainer Instructions
This tip goes hand-in-hand with the above section about making notes, because your retainer reminders can also go into detail about how you should consistently use and take care of your retainer.
Having instructions coincide with your reminder will go a long way to help you take better care of your retainer, and maintain the type of post-care routine that’s necessary after orthodontic treatment ends.
So, you won’t only just be reminded of when to wear your retainer, because you’ll also be reminded of how you should be taking care of it as well.
Regularly Cleaning Your Retainer
When you foster a good cleaning routine for your retainer, it’ll subsequently help you wear it on a nightly basis.
And no one wants to wear a dirty retainer to bed, so keeping up with a good cleaning routine will ultimately encourage you to maintain the frequency that you’ll need.
Keeping Your Retainer In A Noticeable Location
Keeping your retainer in a noticeable location is important to help you avoid losing it, but it’ll also be a good reminder about wearing it.
Some good locations for your retainer case would be on your bathroom sink, or next to your bed.
Understanding The Negative Ramifications Of Not Wearing Retainers
Basic knowledge and understanding of retainer usage is also a good reminder to help orthodontic patients with their post-care routine. If you fully understand how your teeth can shift back due to poor retainer habits, you’ll understand just how important nightly retainer usage truly is.
Reach Out To JK Orthodontics For More Retainer Tips!
JK Orthodontics is a leading orthodontic treatment facility in Columbus, Ohio, and our team has supported countless patients with orthodontic treatment and post-care support.
Reach out to us online or give us a call at 614-766-0330 (Dublin office) or 614-471-6355 (Gahanna office) to schedule an appointment with Dr. Karpac today!