Got a hard plastic retainer and it has smelled awful since arrival — is this normal?
I have severe bruxism (26f) and have had to get a night time retainer for it. Lower teeth only, kind of a hard plastic with some bend but quite stiff, kind of a yellow tone to it but primarily clear, came in a red plastic case. This is vile to say but it smelled like manure when it arrived, before I ever used it. I’ve been using it for about a year or two because I just assumed that was the normal but I genuinely cannot take it anymore — no matter how well I clean it, the smell is there. Not the smell of my breath or anything, but the smell it had when it arrived (though obviously my mouth must contribute to worsening it).
I doubt I can take it back to the original dentist and say ‘hey, something isn’t right with this’ after 1-2 years (and my molars denting it, with the bruxism) so I think I’ll have to pay to get a new one entirely re-made, but I worry I’ll pay for another one and face exactly the same issue. Does this tend to be the norm? Thank you so much!