I was shocked today to learn that the retainer that my child wears is made from acrylic plastic like the kind thats smells so bad at the nail salons (no joke). I was actually at the dentist myself getting a bruxing device to stop me from grinding my teeth in the night, and it is made from the same stuff. I told the guy, why in the world would I want to shove something that is not made from food grade material, in my mouth for 12 hours at a time and then I realized my son had a retainer of the same material. What am I to do? I just looked it up online and found this information, Uninformed Consent the Hidden Dangers of Dental Care which makes total sense. How come no one else is suspect? I even asked my dentist if it was toxic, and he said they use it for gluing hip joints together. and I said, but is it toxic, and he said again they use it for gluing hip joints together and I said, so you don't know. He said he would be interested in finding out what I learned in researching it. I was disturbed by this as we look up to our doctors and trust that they are putting safe things in our body. I found this on the Made How site about acrylic plastics:"Acrylic plastics manufacturing involves highly toxic substances which require careful storage, handling, and disposal. The polymerization process can result in an explosion if not monitored properly. It also produces toxic fumes. Recent legislation requires that the polymerization process be carried out in a closed environment and that the fumes be cleaned, captured, or otherwise neutralized before discharge to the atmosphere.
Acrylic plastic is not easily recycled. It is considered a group 7 plastic among recycled plastics and is not collected for recycling in most communities. Large pieces can be reformed into other useful objects if they have not suffered too much stress, crazing, or cracking, but this accounts for only a very small portion of the acrylic plastic waste. In a landfill, acrylic plastics, like many other plastics, are not readily biodegradable. Some acrylic plastics are highly flammable and must be protected from sources of combustion."
So what is another option for your son for his retainer?