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I got my braces removed about a year ago and I wear my retainers every night now. I was advised to gently wash my retainers in cold water. However, doing so does not clean the retainer of plaque.

  1. I have tried brushing it with my tooth brush but it doesn't clean it properly. Now, the plaque is just building into a think over-coating.
  2. I tried soaking it in a Denture Cleanser tablet
  3. I tried soaking it over-night in a cup of listerine and then seeing if it brushed off.

None of these seemed to work, so any advice on what is the best way to clean it?

EDIT: Result of @FlatBanana's answer: I soaked my retainer for about 8 hours in a cup of water and a table spoon of baking soda. When I pulled them out, although they were not completely clean, brushing them with some toothpaste made the plaque come out much more easily. So, for now, this is the best solution I have found so far.

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    Tried asking your dentist/orthodontist? I bet they have additional suggestions... – Zeiss Ikon Nov 28 '16 at 16:53
  • They suggested to regularly wash with cold water; however, little by little, more plaque (that gets missed during the daily morning wash) accumulates. – Christian Nov 28 '16 at 19:06
  • @Christian Ask them again, but this time tell them about your real concerns with the plaque. – Captain Obvious Nov 30 '16 at 15:29
  • I have this same problem! I hope we can find something that works! On a side note, you can use toothpaste and your toothbrush, then use your fingernails to remove the rest. This can; however, be rather time consuming and doesn't always remove everything. – L.B. Dec 1 '16 at 15:23
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I would suggest using baking soda and castile soap. Whenever you are not wearing them soak them in distilled water with a little bit of baking soda, the castile soap will help to give them a fresher smell.

After soaking, I would suggest you brush them to remove any leftover baking soda.

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    I shall try this and post results. :) – Christian Nov 29 '16 at 9:40

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