You’ve checked by your sink, by your bed, and in your mouth. It’s official—your retainers are nowhere to be found. Now, what do you do?
Your first thought may be that you don’t really need retainers anyway, now that you’ve completed your treatment and your teeth are perfectly straight, right? Wrong.
Your teeth will move
Without retainers, your teeth can make a noticeable shift within 2 to 3 weeks. In fact, 35% of teenagers lose their retainers within the first year after completing their treatment, and end up back at the orthodontist for additional treatment later on.
It can get expensive
It’s hard to imagine now, but you will need your retainers for years to come. Consider this: 75% of the adults we treat already had braces as a teenager, and now require treatment all over again because they didn’t wear their retainers. That’s a lot of money and time to invest in treatment… twice. The moral of the story: you need your retainers.
How to avoid losing them (again)
You’ve replaced your retainer, or maybe you found your original one (congrats!). Now, how do you keep from losing it again? Here are some ways to help you keep track of this important appliance:
Just in case
It’s much more common for patients to lose retainers when they are not in their designated case. This can be the case your retainers came with or a special one you picked out for them—either way, you’ve got to have a rule to only put your retainers in their case when they are not on your teeth. Not on a napkin while you eat, not next to the sink while you brush your teeth. ALWAYS IN THEIR CASE.
Have a mantra
This is a bit silly, but if it works, it’s worth it. Say this rhyme to yourself whenever you take out your retainer: If they aren’t in your mouth, put them in their house. Their “house” being the case you keep them in or they came with.
Up and away
To your dog, retainers look like a new chew toy. To cats, something really fun to swat off the table. To your baby brother, something to gnaw on while he’s teething. All of these scenarios are great ways to have your retainers damaged or lost indefinitely. Be sure to keep them up and out of reach so you do not find your dog with your retainer all chewed up.
Retainers for 10
Did you know that just 3 retainers can cost over $1,000? Since we at Amazing Smiles understand that despite your best efforts, things can happen to your retainers, we’ve created a special program called Retainers For 10.
Retainers For 10 is designed to help you maintain good orthodontic habits, without worrying about the unexpected cost of a new set of retainers. For a one-time cost of $780, you can receive up to 4 sets of retainers per year for the next 10 years! Therefore if you lost your retainer and come to find that you now have a dog-chewed retainer, Amazing Smiles has your back. To find out more about this program, ask one of our treatment coordinators at your complimentary consultation!