Cleaning a "lost" retainer?

[Caraway]

My daughter lost her retainer at a Disney restaurant. A very helpful employee found it and returned it to us.

 

Problem is that my germ adverse DH doesn't feel like it is clean enough. The retainer was on a plate the waitress cleared, so presumably it was stacked with plates from other tables and then scraped into the garbage.

 

We ran the retainer under very hot water, scrubbed it with a toothbrush, and soaked it in Listerine (twice). Would you consider it clean? Should we do something else?

 

 

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[maize]

Sounds clean to me!

[Ravin]

I would consider it clean.

[Ravin]

Unless you know someone with an autoclave who will run it through for you (the orthodontist perhaps?), it's probably as clean as you are going to get it. 

 

So if it's not clean enough, does he want to pay to replace it?

[LucyStoner]

It's cleaner now than it was when it was last in her mouth.

 

I wear a retainer and night guard. Thankfully, I only have to wear them at night. Listerine is my main cleaning agent.

[RootAnn]

Do you know anyone with false teeth? We bought some of those type cleaner tablets for a science experiment & dd uses them on her retainer once per week or so.

 

If you watch them work, it really *looks* like it is cleaning, which is really helpful. Good luck! (DH isn't the one putting the stuff in his mouth. This would be more troubling if DD was the germophobe.)

[LucyStoner]

Your husband isn't the one who has to deal with the pain of jamming a retainer back in after leaving it out for a protracted period of time. So if it's clean enough for your daughter, it's her decision.

[heartlikealion]

Buy Efferdent! It's what I have always used to clean things like toothbrushes, retainers, mouth guards and tongue scrapers. They are advertised for cleaning dentures.

 

The Efferdent tablet sits for like 15 min. in a cup of warm water (I think the box says not to use hot but I use very warm). Depending on how badly I needed my retainer and where I thought it had been, this in addition to scrubbing (as you already did) might be good enough for me and I'm a germophobe. I would clean all the items lol Like the toothbrush she just used to clean the dirty retainer... I would clean that again and then once both items were cleaned I would scrub the retainer once more maybe with a dab of toothpaste.

[SebastianCat]

Our orthodontist cleans DS's retainers every time he goes in for a checkup.   I would call your ortho and ask if they'll do it if your DH doesn't think it's clean enough already.

 

It would be clean enough for me with what you've already done.

[heartlikealion]

Also, did your dd get a container to hold the retainer? If not, I would ask for one or buy one online. That way she could put the retainer in the container during meals, rather than loose on a tray, etc.

[AK_Mom4]

Second the Efferdent or another denture cleaner.

 

I wear a full double guard at night and it gets gross. Once a week I soak it all day in Efferdent once a week and it comes out sparkly clean.

[VinNY]

Efferdent or any type of denture cleaner tablet...like others said .

 

[theelfqueen]

Also, did your dd get a container to hold the retainer? If not, I would ask for one or buy one online. That way she could put the retainer in the container during meals, rather than loose on a tray, etc.

 

Yes, we have a VERY strict rule in our house -- FACE OR CASE... the only places your retainer can be are in your face or in its case!

We bought athletic mouthguard cases in addition to the cases provided by our orthodontist. These ones have a big carabiner type clips on them that we attached to school lunchboxes and or backpacks as needed.

 

[Haiku]

Well, either the Listerine killed the germs, or it didn't.

 

Since it's designed to kill germs, my money is on "killed the germs."

 

It's clean.
 

[sarasue7272]

I would use hydrogen peroxide.

[Guest]

I dumped my retainer in the trash as a kid, it was on my tray :o

 

We boiled it and had no issue.

 

If hear was a concern I'd go listerine for five minutes and call it good.

[reign]

My daughter also left her retainer at Disney World. More specifically Holliwood Studios at the SciFi drive in! The server found it in the garbage and ran it through the cleaner. It came back HOT! We just had her put it right in. Lol I would totally wash it and be good to go.

[nd293]

Perfectly clean.

[TechWife]

Take it to the orthodontist and have them clean it. They cleaned mine as a matter of routine at check up appointments. If they think it's clean, then it's clean enough for me. 

[theelfqueen]

Oh and for the odd situation where one of our three (all boys, all had retainers at one time or another) didn't have a case we asked for a to-go cup and put the retainer in it and laid it on it's side.... rather than laying it on a plate or napkin. It stood out a bit and was less likely to get cleared by accident.