Orthodontic Retention

You’ve worked hard for your beautiful smile — keep it that way!

Finally, your braces have been removed and your smile is beautiful, straight, and — best of all — metal-free! However, your orthodontic journey isn’t quite completed. To keep your smile looking its best, you’ll have to wear a retainer to preserve and stabilize your results.

Retainers are needed to control or limit potential changes in tooth position. They are used after braces treatment to hold teeth in their correct alignment while the surrounding gums, bone, and muscle adjust to the new positioning of your teeth.

Types of retainers

Retainers are custom-made and can be removable or fixed.

• Traditional removable retainers typically include 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, or Essix retainers, look similar to clear aligners and offer 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 consist 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 life.

Pros and cons

• Removable retainers can be taken out for eating and hygiene routines.
• Removable retainers can get lost easily, so remember to keep yours in the case whenever you remove it to eat or brush.
• Fixed retainers are great if you don’t want to keep track of it, or if you don’t want to worry about how many hours per day it has to be worn.
• Teeth with fixed retainers require a little extra attention to remove tartar while flossing. Patients with fixed retainers often must use floss threaders to pass dental floss through the small spaces between the retainer and the teeth.

Retainer instructions

• Wear your retainer full time, until the doctor instructs otherwise.
• Take your retainer out when eating, and always put it in the case! (Most appliances are lost in schoollunch rooms or restaurants.)
• Clean your retainer thoroughly once a day with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Use warm but not hot water. Brushing a retainer removes the plaque, and eliminates odors. Efferdent® or other orthodontic appliance cleaners can be used but do not take the place of brushing.
• When a retainer is not in your mouth it should ALWAYS be in a retainer case. Pets love to chew on them!
• Initially, you may find it difficult to speak. Practice speaking, reading, or singing out loud to get used to them faster.
• Retainers are breakable, so treat them with care. If your retainer is lost or broken, call us immediately.
• If you have any questions or concerns about your retainer, or it need adjusting, call us. Do not try to adjust it yourself.
• Always bring your retainer to your appointments.
• Retainer replacements are expensive, but with proper care they will last for years!
• Remove your retainer when swimming.
• Keep retainers away from hot water, hot car dashboards, pockets, the washing machine, and napkins.