Tips to Remind you to Wear your Retainer
If you’ve gone through the journey of braces or orthodontic procedures to achieve a straight, beautiful and healthy smile, the last thing you want is for your teeth to shift back to where they started. That’s where retainers come in—they are the necessary tool that will help ensure that your teeth stay straight, beautiful, and healthy.
But, remembering to wear your retainer can have its challenges, there are so many distractions in day to day life that something so simple as putting your retainer in at the end of the day can be easily forgotten. So, we’ve come up with a few tips you can use to remind yourself to take the extra couple of seconds to put in your retainer and to keep that winning smile.
Use technology to your advantage.
With today’s smart phone technology, it’s easy to set reminders every day so that they go off at a certain time to help you remember your retainer. You can program reminders with customized sounds yourself or you can ask Siri to set a reminder for you. This works especially well if you have a consistent schedule and go to bed at the same time every night. It won’t take long for the habit to form so when you hear that Ding! you’ll automatically reach for your retainer case.
Go the old fashioned way and write a note.
The tried and tested method of writing yourself a note works well for those who either haven’t adopted the latest technology or who perhaps work night shifts or go to bed at a different time every day. In this case, a bright neon post it note either on the bedside table or on the bathroom mirror that you’ll notice while you’re brushing your teeth will serve as a reminder to slip your retainer onto your teeth so that you don’t fall asleep without it.
Form a habit.
Habits are hard to break so it’s a good idea to try your best to create a habit of putting in your retainer so that it comes as second nature and you don’t have to remember to think about it. You can try leaving your retainer in the same place every night, maybe beside the lamp in your bedroom, so that you can form the habit of putting it in as the last thing you do. If you do this for several weeks consistently, it will become second nature to you.
Ask for help.
Sometimes we all need a little help and asking family, friends or your spouse to help you remember to wear your retainer is a good idea. They probably love your new smile just as much as you do and would be happy to help you keep it.
Bright works best.
Make your retainer case stand out from the rest of the things in your bedroom or bathroom by buying a brightly coloured one, or by painting it or decorating it with rhinestones or jewels. Make it eye-catching enough to remind you that you should put your retainer in every day.
Whatever kind of trick or tip works for you is best. The most important thing is that you remember to wear your retainer every day or night, depending on what’s been recommended to you. This simple step is well worth it to save that perfect smile you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Dr. Williams, an orthodontist in Surrey, and the South Surrey Smiles team are dedicated to providing the South Surrey, White Rock, and surrounding communities with consistently exceptional orthodontic care, creating a fun, relaxed practice where you can feel truly at home.