Retainers and Instructions

 You Want Your Smile to Last Forever and So Do We!

Congratulations! You’ve finished your orthodontic treatment and your smile is as bright and wonderful as ever. Even though you are newly braces-free, there is still one last step to your orthodontic treatment. To keep your smile looking great, wearing a retainer will solidify your results. Retainers are needed to control or limit possible changes in the teeth’s positions and hold the teeth in their correct alignment. This allows your gums, bone and muscles to adapt to the relationships of the teeth and bite.

Types of Retainers

• Traditional Removable Retainers – This typically includes a metal wire that surrounds the front teeth and is attached to an acrylic arch that sits in the roof of the mouth. The metal wires can be adjusted to finish treatment and continue minor movement of the front teeth as needed.
• Aligner-Style Retainers – This style looks more similar to clear aligners, which gives the patients a more aesthetic alternative to wire retainers. This clear retainer may fit over the entire arch of your teeth, or only from canine to canine (clip-on retainer). It is produced from a mold of your newly aligned teeth.
• Fixed Retainers – It consists of wires bonded behind the bottom and/or top teeth. While the device is usually required no more than a year after wisdom teeth have been extracted, it is often kept in place for lifetime.

Pros & Cons

• Removable retainers are great since you are able to take it out while eating and during your regular oral hygiene routine
• A con to removable retainers are that, because they are removable, they can get lost if you don’t keep it in its given case. Remember to put it back whenever you take it out for various purposes such as parties or swimming
• The great thing about fixed-retainers are that sine they are bonded to your mouth, you don’t have to remember about removing anything throughout the day/night
• A small challenge for the individuals who have a fixed retainer, is that you need to be more diligent about removing plaque when flossing, since  it can build up around the wire. Patients will be given floss, floss threaders and instruction on how to floss between the teeth where the fixed retainer is placed.

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