Can You Eat With Retainers?

By: Your One and Only, Online Dental Expert - Writer, Mr. Efrain E. Silva!

Yes, I fear I may scare you away with the notion of the retainer, or at least make you never want to go to a dentist to get them…. if I tell you that you can never eat again while having them. A true horror story, am I right? Well, do not be afraid, and worry not ; I am not going to tell you that, my dear friend.

The first point that I would like to bring on up is the very fact that the first 2 weeks after that fitting, when you get the retainers tried on and start working with them on your teeth ‘full - time’, are the most vital 2 weeks of all. I will not lie. This time in getting used to the retainers can be super brutal. And you have to keep them in, no matter what else you do throughout the day, day in and day out. Your only exception is to take them off when eating as you might have guessed. I remember this painful moment in my life when I was about 20 years younger ( and no, I am not an old person as I write this, he he he heh heh…. I have still got plenty of youth and vigor in me, so thank you for asking, ha hah ) . It was not the most fun or pain – free time in my life, I will admit, but I am so glad that the hard moments of adjustment are behind me and I now continue to live my life…. believe me, you can get there, to where I am today…. you just need to keep pushing forward, my friend, and you will see the better side of the tunnel as we Brit – Americans like to say, he he he he heh.

After the first 2 weeks, you wear them 10 hours a day. You wear them at night, too. They basically become a part of you at that point. And those short moments in each day, in which you get to briefly take them off and not feel them on your teeth, as you bite into some food and drink, are truly gold moments, as I like to call them…. and you will, in time, learn.

You do have to brush your teeth, after every time you eat, just as you normally would be expected to do if you did not have retainers. And keep in mind that it would also help if you washed your retainers, while you are at it…. before putting them back in the mouth. Wash, rinse, and yes, a little tooth – paste also helps clean the retainers and kill any germs or bacteria on them ( they have, after all, been in your mouth for hours at a time, so take this seriously and wash them carefully…. no rush here ) .

Eat slowly.