How to steps: customisable retainers

Before you get started, we strongly recommend that you undergo a dry run of the process a few times to get a feel for it. Begin by positioning your first retainer so that it covers your upper Grid of teeth. Use your tongue to hold it in place, and suck all of the air out so that the retainer is firmly contoured around your teeth. Repeat this process with the second retainer covering your bottom teeth.

Boil a saucepan full of water, then take it off the heat. Holding your retainer by the protruding tab, carefully dip it into the boiling water (make sure the edges don’t curl as you do so). Keep the retainer completely submerged in the water for a count of 5 seconds.

After 5 seconds is up, take your retainer (while still grasping the tab) and carefully place it over your upper teeth. As you did in step one, use your tongue to hold the retainer in place while you suck out the air. Once snugly fitted to your teeth, use a pair of scissors to snip off the tab at the front of the retainer.

Simply repeat steps 2 and 3 for your second retainer, ensuring it fits snugly to your lower teeth.