- Reference Number: HEY1222/2021
- Departments: Oral Surgery, Dentistry and Max Fax
- Last Updated: 7 May 2021
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- Your retainers should be worn every night whilst sleeping, unless instructed otherwise by your Orthodontist. If you ever miss a night, we recommend you wear the appliance all day the following day.
- If you are required to wear the retainer during the day, when playing contact sports such as rugby and swimming we advise you to take the retainer out for this and keep it in the box we have provided for you.
- If you ever need to wear your appliance during the day, please take the retainers out to eat and drink. You can leave the retainers in if you are drinking water or milk only.
- It is likely to be sore and your teeth may feel tender for a couple of days after your retainers are fitted. If necessary, pain relief medication which you would normally take for a headache may help.
- Every morning and evening you should clean the appliance with soap and your toothbrush. Once a week you can use a brace cleaning agent.
- If your retainer breaks or is lost please contact the department on (01482) 468317 at your earliest convenience. A broken retainer means it is not working and this may cause your teeth to relapse.
- If you do not wear your appliance as instructed, it will not work and your teeth are very likely to relapse. Please note long term wear of your retainers is recommended to keep your teeth straight.
- Your Orthodontist will continue with your care for up to one year after your brace removal. Once you are discharged from the department your dentist can make you a new retainer if you require a replacement retainer in the future. Please note there will be a charge for this.
- Please note there will be a charge per retainer if you were to lose or not wear your appliance and require a replacement to be made. The current cost is £50 per arch. Please note this amount could change in the future.
