Is it possible to be allergic to a retainer?

Allergic to retainer cleaner?

• A few nights ago I used 'retainer brite' to clean my retainers for the first time, and saw on the back of the box that it 'contains persulfate which is a known allergen'. I've always been worried about having a severe allergic reaction to something so this freaked me out. I've rinsed my braces thoroughly, but the last two nights I've have to take my retainers out after a couple hours of wearing them because I'm unsure. I've noticed that when I put them in I get a hot flush and a bit of a sore throat a couple of minutes after putting them in, whether this is due to panic I'm not sure, but its really scaring me. I can't not wear my retainers again as my teeth are starting to shift. Does this sound like an allergic reaction? And if so, what do I do? I'm 16 by the way, so I know the hot flushes isn't menopause, haha.

• Answer:

  Most people are NOT allergic to persulfate or Retainer Brite. The FDA had to put those warnings on the products because a few rare individuals had reactions. When you use Retainer Brite, you will rinse your retainer thoroughly in warm running water afterward. So any persulfate that is left will be washed off. You would need to be extremely sensitive to the chemical to get any sort of reaction. If you want, you can go a step further and soak your retainer in clean warm water for about 20 minutes or a half hour after you rinse it off. Are your retainers the clear "Invisalign" type or the wire and plastic type? I have heard of people being allergic to something in the plastic of the Invisalign type of retainer (and actual Invisalign aligners). Read this topic if you want more information on this: http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=13809 and also: http://dentakit.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html Most doctors came the conclusion that people were getting sick from Invisalign because they weren't cleaning their retainers properly and the bacterial buildup was getting them sick. But some seemed to actually be allergic to something in the plastic. It is a rather unknown fact that Align Technologies has a "non allergenic" aligner. Anyway, if you think you have an allergy to persulfate, you can use a product called DentaSoak instead. It does not contain persulfate. Neither does Cleanse Freshen Go. Both of these products are available at http://www.dentakit.com