Retainers are an essential part of your orthodontic plan. Of course, the braces or invisible aligners get the big billing — they're the ones that move your teeth into the position they need to be in to give you that smile you've always dreamed of. They cause more discomfort and last much longer than a retainer. But without a retainer, your teeth would go back to their original positions in your mouth and all that hard work would be for nothing. So it's important that you wear your retainer all day, all night, or for as many hours as your orthodontist says you need to.

This can be a problem if you drop your retainer an hour after you've left the house. Especially if you drop it, say, in the mud or on a grimy subway platform. You certainly don't want to put that back in your mouth, and unless you use a handy, portable retainer cleaner like the CustMbite All Natural Oral Appliance Cleaner, you're out of luck. No matter how good your retainer cleaner is, if you can't bring it with you wherever you go, you could end up unable to wear your retainer for an entire day. And if dropping it is a habit of yours, that could be detrimental to your orthodontic health.

What kinds of cleaners can I use to sanitize my retainer?

There are plenty of retainer cleaners available online and at your local pharmacy. Some have chemicals in them like bleach or alcohol that aren't really healthy for you to use on something you're going to put into your mouth, so you should stay away from those.

There are a wide variety of retainer and other oral appliance cleaning tablets. These tablets come in little packets. When you're ready to use them, you get a glass that's big enough to hold your retainer, dentures, sports mouth guards, or other oral appliance; fill it with water to cover your appliance, and drop the tablet in. Once it bubbles up real good, you drop in your retainer, snore guard, dental bridge, or other oral appliance, wait a few minutes, and then it's ready to pop back in your mouth.

There are a few downsides to these tablet cleaners. One is the amount of trash they produce — they're not very environmentally friendly. Each tablet is packaged separately so you produce waste each time you use them. Not only that, but on a per-use basis, they are pretty costly. They are also bulky and take up a lot of room on your bathroom counter or in your medicine cabinet.

But another downside is they're not very portable. If you do drop your retainer and need to use the tablet, it's inconvenient to have to try and find a container to fit the retainer and water in.

The CustMbite All Natural Oral Appliance Cleaner, on the other hand, comes in a small bottle and takes up hardly any space on the counter or in your medicine cabinet. You can carry it with you — it's affordable enough to buy two bottles so you always have one in your bathroom and one with you wherever you go. If you drop your retainer, all you need to do is find a nearby bathroom where you can spray your retainer, wipe it off with a paper towel, and rinse it in water. It's then ready to pop back in your mouth.

Where can I get the best sanitizer in case I drop my retainer?

The CustMbite All Natural Oral Appliance Cleaner is made of all-natural ingredients, as its name suggests, such as tea tree oil, menthol oil, and distilled H2O. It's also vegan-friendly and free of gluten and sugar. It's made entirely in the U.S.A., so you can trust that it's safe to use. Order the best retainer sanitizer online today and don't worry next time you drop your retainer or other oral appliance — we've got you covered!