The Importance of Wearing a Retainer after Orthodontic Treatment

Orthodontic treatment is becoming more and more popular over time. Not only are young teenagers getting the treatment done, but more and more adults from ages 20 to 60+ are also receiving orthodontic treatment, after all, it’s never too late to improve your smile and bite!

Making your teeth straight is not a problem for dental experts in this field of work, as it’s something they do many times a day, and have been well trained to treat all different severities of crowding, and other problems patients may have due to their bite. But what some patients struggle with is maintaining the position of the straight teeth after treatment has been completed. We see lots of patients that come in who have had previous orthodontic treatment as a child, and now teeth have all moved back to their original position. Unfortunately, this does happen a lot, and many patients end up getting more treatment done to fix this. Not everybody knows the importance of wearing retainers.  So this article will explain to you the importance of wearing them, the duration of how long you need to wear them for and which types are available for you.

Your teeth, if not retained, will always have a chance of movement. The risk is higher when the brace has recently been removed. Studies show that in the first month, the chance of relapse is very high. So it is very important to wear some type of retainer when the brace has been removed. We believe that retainers should be worn all the time, as in some type of retainer needs to be permanent, if teeth are left alone they will eventually go back to their normal position, as teeth have a memory, and your face never stops growing/maturing, tissues never stop  changing, and teeth never stop pushing forward due to this. If your teeth have moved due to lack of retention, the only thing that can put them back into the desired position is braces again to correct it.

There are two types of retainers, one is a fixed retainer, and the other is a removable retainer. A fixed retainer is always the best option to go for in my opinion, as it can’t be taken out, so you don’t need to worry about putting it in, forgetting it, or even losing it. A fixed retainer is a stainless steel thin wire which is bonded to the back of your teeth, normally from your first canine, to the other canine on the opposite side. It can be placed on the upper or lower teeth, depending on which teeth are being  treated. The fixed retainer doesn’t last forever, and it may need repairing from time to time, as the bond can wear away, but really it should be kept there for a lifetime. The retainers vary from lasting from 2 -5 years possibly, just depending on how you look after it. The wire is very thin, and after a few days to a week you won’t even notice it is there. The removable retainer is made from clear plastic, similar to a whitening tray, and just fits over your teeth, this is to be worn daily, most people wear theirs overnight, but everyone is different, some people are instructed to wear theirs during the day and only to be taken out when eating and drinking, but it is always best to wear for the time your dentist has advised. If you have both retainers that’s even better, as you can ever be too safe!

Here at Perfect Smile Spa, in Hornchurch Essex, we carry out lots of orthodontic treatment, and we always supply our patients with both removable and fixed retainers, for extra retention, this way we know we have done everything to keep your teeth as straight as possible for you. We also can place fixed retainers on for you, if your previous one has broken, or you were never offered one by your previous dentist, and we can also get a removable retainer made for you if you have lost your previous one. For any enquiries you may have, please give our reception a call, or simply send us a quick enquiry on our online system on our website.The Importance of Wearing a Retainer after Orthodontic Treatment was last modified: July 2nd, 2018 by Dr Jas Sagoo