While it’s exciting to get your braces off, it doesn’t mean your orthodontic treatment is over. After finishing with the active phase of your treatment, you’ll enter the retention phase, and this is critical to ensuring a lasting smile. Wearing your retainer will give your new smile a chance to “set” into place, allowing you to enjoy it for a lifetime. Unfortunately, though, it’s all too easy to forget your retainer or lose it somewhere – so as your comprehensive resource for orthodontic treatment from Morita Orthodontics on how not to forget your retainer!
Firstly, before we can think about not forgetting the retainer, you’ll need to ensure you wear it sufficiently! Your orthodontist will provide detailed instructions for wearing your retainer when we give it to you, and it’s vital that you listen closely to ensure the best orthodontic outcome. Being diligent about wearing your retainer will turn it into a habit, which makes it easier to avoid forgetting it somewhere.
When we give you your retainer, we’ll include a purpose-built, high-visibility retainer case for it. That case is your best friend when it comes to not losing your retainer. Our advice is to only ever have your retainer in one of two places: either in your mouth or in the case! We’ve heard numerous tales from patients who left their retainers with their food and accidentally threw it away, so using the case at all times is a great way to protect your retainer and avoid forgetting it.
No matter how often you wear your retainer, if you have a phone with an alarm function or an alarm clock, you can use it to help keep you on track. Set a daily alarm to remind you to put your retainer in, either in the morning or at night. Keeping the alarm on daily will help you build the habit of wear, helping you stay diligent with use and ensuring you don’t lose track of your retainer.
These are three tips to help ensure you don’t forget your retainer. Contact us today with any questions you have about retainer use or to learn more about the orthodontic treatment process. We look forward to hearing from you, and whether you’re straightening your smile with braces or Invisalign, Morita Orthodontics wishes you luck in creating and maintaining your retainer routine.
If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment with us, you can fill out our online appointment request form or give us a call at our Honolulu office at (808) 941-3355 or our Aiea office at (808) 486-5505. We can’t wait to hear from you!
RE: COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
To our valued patients,
In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), President Trump, the American Dental Association and the Hawaii Dental Association are recommending all dentists postpone nonemergency dental procedures for 2 weeks. Our practice is committed to protecting the community and avoiding using valuable resources that our first responders and frontline healthcare providers will need.
Our office will be closed effective today, Wednesday, March 18, and we plan to resume regular hours on Wednesday, April 1. If you are experiencing a true dental emergency including swelling or severe tooth pain, please call your general dentist office, and listen closely as emergency contact info will be available. For all nonemergent questions, please email us at [email protected].
We are so sorry for the burden this places on your schedules, but your continued health and safety are our number one priority. Our office is working diligently to reschedule all patients with existing appointments within the next 2 weeks. We will continue to evaluate the situation as it evolves and determine on a weekly basis when it is appropriate for us to return to normal orthodontic patient care. We ask for your compassion and understanding at this time as we all work together to keep Hawaii healthy.
Sincerely,
Your Morita Orthodontics Ohana
