Orthodontic Retention
After your braces are removed, revealing a beautiful, straight smile, your orthodontic care isn’t quite over yet. To maintain your new smile, you must wear a retainer to stabilize and preserve the alignment. Retainers are crucial for controlling potential shifts in tooth position as your gums, bones, and muscles adapt to the changes.
Types of Retainers:
- Traditional Removable Retainers: Include a metal wire that encircles the front teeth, attached to an acrylic arch that fits in the roof of the mouth. These can be adjusted for minor tooth movements.
- Aligner-style Retainers (Essix Retainers): Similar to clear aligners and can cover the entire arch of your teeth or just from canine to canine, offering a more aesthetic option.
- Fixed Retainers: Consist of wires bonded behind the bottom and/or top teeth, often kept in place permanently after wisdom teeth are extracted.
Pros and Cons:
- Removable retainers offer the convenience of being taken out for meals and cleaning but can be easily lost, so they should always be stored in their case.
- Fixed retainers provide a worry-free solution without the need for daily removal, though they require careful cleaning with floss threaders to manage tartar buildup around the retainer.
- Each type of retainer is designed to suit different needs and lifestyles, ensuring that everyone can find the best option to keep their smile perfect.