temporarily stop transmitting pain impulses to the brain, giving the patient quite a bit of pain relief. gumEase has even successfully been used to help stop the pain of migraine headaches! What Can Orthodontic Patients Eat? You probably give your orthodontic patients a handout detailing the foods they should not eat (nuts, popcorn, hard crusty bread, etc). But what about soft food recipes? Fortunately, there are two great books that will give your patients a myriad of ideas for healthy, delicious soft foods. The Braces Cookbook and The Braces Cookbook 2 (Fig .6) were both developed by an orthodontic patient Pamela Waterman, with input from a professional chef. Each book includes braces-friendly tips for oral care and everyday comfort, giving patients an all-in-one-place resource. The recipes take the frus-tration out of trying to eat satisfy-ing food when patients can't chew very well! Fig. 7: Cleanse Freshen Go Wipes conveniently let patients clean their retainers or aligners anywhere, any time. Fig. 6: The Braces Cookbook and The Braces Cookbook 2 contain scores of delicious and easy recipes for orthodontic patients. Retainers – and How to Keep Them Clean Most patients don't understand how to keep their retainers clean, and they look to their dentists and orthodontists for guidance. The worst thing you can do is give your patient a retainer without telling them how to clean it. (Just to be clear, a retainer should be cleaned daily. I remember talking to one customer who told me that his dentist told him to soak his retainer only once a week. No wonder his retainer was a smelly mess!) Although there are several really great retainer cleaning products on the market today, most dental professionals still tell their patients to simply brush their retainers with toothpaste. In reality, this is not the best method for keeping a retainer clean. As you know, retain-ers tend to build up tartar, and their crevices harbor bacteria. Brushing doesn't totally keep tartar from building up on retainers, or kill bacteria. Even if your patients brush their retainers every day, white plaque can continue to build up on them, and they can continue to smell bad. Brushing is not a good cleaning method for clear plastic Essix retain-ers and aligners, because it can create microscopic scratches which can dull these types of retainers. Toothpaste residue often clouds a clear aligner or retainer. Clear plas-tic retainers and aligners should never be brushed; they should only be soaked. The best way to clean a retainer is to use a professional retainer cleaning product. And that doesn't mean denture tablets; it means retainer cleaners. There is a differ-ence. Denture cleaning tablets can turn a retainer yellow after a period of time. Retainer cleaning products do not affect the retainer's color or appearance. Retainer Brite tablets have long been a standard for retainer clean-ing. They are popular, convenient and easy to use. However, they do not remove heavy white plaque buildup on dirty retainers. Retainer Brite is best for retainers that are new, or already relatively clean and well-maintained. If your patient's retainers have a lot of heavy white plaque buildup, SonicBrite powder or DentaSoak liquid solution will usually remove the plaque after 3 or 4 consecutive cleanings. SonicBrite is sold as a kit that includes a high-quality sonic cleaner. DentaSoak is a solution that you mix once and use for an entire week, and has the added advantage of being Persulfate-free. Patients who wear aligners, or who wear retainers 24/7 will appre-ciate the Cleanse Freshen Go retainer cleaning wipes (Fig. 7). These are individually foil wrapped, similar to hand wipes, and help to clean and freshen any type of retainer or removable dental appli-ance when a patient doesn't have access to fresh running water. Cleanse Freshen Go wipes do not contain Persulfate. If your patient's Hawley retainer contains metal solder, you should warn the patient not to soak the retainer every day. Continual soaking will eventually break down the solder, causing it to turn black and crumble off. It's OK to soak a retainer a few times to initially remove heavy plaque buildup. Beyond that, it's best to use Cleanse Freshen Go spray with a soft toothbrush to keep the retainer clean. Cleanse Freshen Go spray does not contain Persulfate. Invisalign Braces and Essix Retainers If your patient wears Invisalign aligners or clear Essix retainers, there are two tools which can help them remove these appliances with-out discomfort. The ART Tool features two hooks to pull down the retainer from both sides at once. The Outie Tool, which was created by an Invisalign patient, has two different types of hooks for remov-ing the top and bottom retainers. Retainer Cases You probably have a supplier for basic retainer cases, but there are a www.orthodontics.com September/October 2013 23
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society September-October 2013: Page 23
