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I'm getting worried about the retainer I wear at night to prevent teeth clenching related problems. It's old and starting to decay.. time for a new one but wha

I'm getting worried about the retainer I wear at night to prevent teeth clenching related problems. It's old and starting to decay.. time for a new one but what's worse? grinding my teeth at night or slowly degrading this plastic retainer and ingesting the wee bits?

baz00 3y ago
Depends if your partner strangles you or not. (this is why I gave up mechanical keyboards)
- tremon 3y ago
  You're worried about the microplastics seeping from your mechanical keyboard?
christophilus 3y ago
I’ve been thinking about this, too. I have a few caps due to me grinding my teeth for so many years, so for me, the choice is between plastic from a retainer and little bits of whatever the caps are made of.
- Reason077 3y ago
  Older composite tooth fillings and sealants etc do contain BPA, which is an endocrine disruptor that you probably don't want to be grinding down. Recent filling materials have moved to BPA-free alternatives, though. If your caps (crowns?) are made of composite resin, then I'd be concerned if you're grinding them. Many crowns are made of porcelain now days, though.
UltimateEdge 3y ago
If it's decaying, then presumably you're clenching your teeth and damaging it over time. So the retainer is working and protecting you from the certain (as opposed to hypothetical/not-yet-proven) harm of tooth degradation.
wil421 3y ago
I’d bet you swallow more from your toothpaste, face wash, or other microplastic sources.
Reason077 3y ago
Those "wee bits" will still be relatively big and you're probably pooping most of them out again. Assuming the plastic itself is fairly benign and non-toxic I wouldn't be overly concerned about swallowing a little bit of it. I'd be more worried about all the tiny micro-plastic fibres you're breathing in every day that are going in your lungs, blood, and other organs.
permo-w 3y ago
get one made out of rubber

baz00 3y ago

Depends if your partner strangles you or not. (this is why I gave up mechanical keyboards)

tremon 3y ago
You're worried about the microplastics seeping from your mechanical keyboard?

christophilus 3y ago

I’ve been thinking about this, too. I have a few caps due to me grinding my teeth for so many years, so for me, the choice is between plastic from a retainer and little bits of whatever the caps are made of.

Reason077 3y ago
Older composite tooth fillings and sealants etc do contain BPA, which is an endocrine disruptor that you probably don't want to be grinding down. Recent filling materials have moved to BPA-free alternatives, though. If your caps (crowns?) are made of composite resin, then I'd be concerned if you're grinding them. Many crowns are made of porcelain now days, though.

UltimateEdge 3y ago

If it's decaying, then presumably you're clenching your teeth and damaging it over time. So the retainer is working and protecting you from the certain (as opposed to hypothetical/not-yet-proven) harm of tooth degradation.

wil421 3y ago

I’d bet you swallow more from your toothpaste, face wash, or other microplastic sources.

Reason077 3y ago

Those "wee bits" will still be relatively big and you're probably pooping most of them out again. Assuming the plastic itself is fairly benign and non-toxic I wouldn't be overly concerned about swallowing a little bit of it. I'd be more worried about all the tiny micro-plastic fibres you're breathing in every day that are going in your lungs, blood, and other organs.

permo-w 3y ago

get one made out of rubber