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 Orthodontic Retention
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.
- Bonded 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.
- A bonded is 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 must be worn.
- Teeth with bonded require a little extra attention to remove tartar while flossing. Patients with bonded often must use floss threaders to pass dental floss through the small spaces between the retainer and the teeth.
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Your trust and confidence is essential to our relationship. We would like for you to be comfortable during your visits, and remember your time in braces as a fun and memorable experience every time you see your smile in the mirror. We provide the highest level of patient-focused care, always attentive to your unique needs and concerns, and we do it with a smile.