Post Insertion Instructions For Hawley’s Retainer in Dentistry

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Good morning everyone. Hopefully everything is rocking and splendid. Without being lengthy with this post I would like to share with you the post operative instructions given to a patient given a Hawley's retainer, a very important orthodontic appliance.

Hawley's retainer is a post braces orthodontic appliance used to make teeth to maintain firm position and prevent undesirable tooth in order to maintain previous orthodontic treatment.

The appliance should be usually worn throughout the day and at night while sleeping. This is also to enable the oral cavity get used to the appliance and alleviate the oral structures feeling to foreign objects.

Some pain may be experienced within the first 24-48 hours. This is normal as the pain will also fade away within 24-72 hours. However, if the pain persists and not wearing out, please return to the clinic for further investigation and check due to possible error or dysfunction.

Remove the appliance while eating, brushing or flossing to avoid being wet.

Endeavour to clean the appliance with the appropriate brush and paste, preferably a bar soap as using tooth paste could lead to abrasion of the retainer and it should be cleaned under running water and a sink.

If the appliance becomes calcified, soak in retainer brite solution in order decalcify and dissolved the clogged particles.

Do not clean the appliance under hot water, as it can disrupt the acrylic component of the retainer appliance

Do not use the appliance with hard food substances to avoid disengagement of assembled parts

Keep the appliance in a retainer case when not in use to make it last longer and avoid damage due to falling and mishandling.
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