Lost retainer (or any other such valuable item)

[Anonymous]

My daughter just got her braces off several days ago and has already lost her retainer. I can foresee this happening many, many times. How would you deal with this?

[Anonymous]

My parents made me dig through the school trash for it (in 7th grade). I never lost it again, and I did find it. Sounds like it may be too late for you to try this. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

We deal with retainers and glasses. The key to success is having a non-negotiable plan. The retainer goes into the mouth after the last teeth brushing before bed. In the morning, you get out of bed, you pee and then you clean the retainer and put it in its little box. The box has a specific spot in the medicine cabinet where it is stored and no one but the retainer wearer and a parent can touch it. The retainer wearer is 100% responsible for making sure this process if followed once it is set up by a parent. The consequence for even a minor deviation, such as placing it on top of the box instead of in the box, is no screen time for the day (only because it is extremely effective in my house to reinforce behaviors, not because it is a natural consequence or has any relationship to the act itself). The consequence for a lost retainer is that the retainer wearer pays for the replacement. This sounds really harsh, but in reality, we never have problems with retainers or glasses because everyone knows exactly what to do with them and everyone understands that they are expected to follow the procedure without deviation.

FWIW, if one of my kids lost a retainer or glasses, they would also dig through the trash.

[Anonymous]

15 y.o. DS has lost retainer 3X. First time:had to dig through trash; second time: had to dig through trash; 3rd-time -- paid for replacement out of allowance and babysitting money. He's a slow learner, obviously, but finally got it and now guards the appliance with his life.