I gotta say, I’ve never been a big fan of those fizzy tablets. Everyone raves about them, but honestly, I feel like they just make my retainer smell like weird artificial mint for a day and then it’s back to normal funk. The haze never budges for me either. I actually had more luck with just plain dish soap and a toothbrush (not the same one I use for my teeth... learned that the hard way—minty plates for days).
I know some folks worry about scratching the plastic with brushing, but unless you’re scrubbing it like you’re cleaning burnt lasagna off a pan, it seems fine. Also, super hot water is a no-go—my friend warped hers into something that looked like modern art.
Remembering to wear it though? Whole different battle. If someone invents a retainer that texts you when you forget, I’d pay good money.
Dish soap and a separate toothbrush have always worked better for me too—those tablets just left my retainer smelling odd, never actually looking cleaner. I’ve never noticed scratches from gentle brushing either. The real challenge is remembering to wear the thing... mine lives in its case way too often.
The real challenge is remembering to wear the thing... mine lives in its case way too often.
Honestly, same here. I get so anxious about losing my progress, but then I’ll go days without putting it in because I just forget (or, let’s be real, I’m too tired at night). I’ve tried sticky notes on my mirror, but sometimes even that doesn’t work. I do get nervous about using dish soap, though—I always double rinse, just in case. Those tablets made mine smell weird too, which stressed me out more than it probably should have.
I totally relate to the sticky note thing—mine just became part of the scenery after a while, like my brain stopped noticing it. What finally helped me was putting my retainer case right on top of my phone charger. That way, if I wanted to plug in at night, I had to move the case and it would remind me. As for cleaning, I’m with you on the dish soap. I tried those fizzy tablets once and it left this weird aftertaste that made me gag. Now I just stick to gentle hand soap and rinse forever... probably overkill, but at least it doesn’t smell funky.