The benefits of orthodontic treatment will last a lifetime if you wear your orthodontic retainers. Keep these important patient responsibilities in mind:
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. Removable retainers need a little care to keep them fresh and clean, so be sure to take good care of them.
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.
Keep This In Mind
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.
Teeth with fixed retainers require a little extra attention to remove tartar while you’re flossing. Patients with fixed retainers often must use floss threaders to pass dental floss through the small spaces between the retainer and the teeth.
Care & Cleaning of Your Removable Retainer
Always store your retainer inside your retainer case, and be sure to clean it when you remove it and again before you wear it.
To clean your removable retainer, use a soft toothbrush to gently scrub away plaque and other debris. If needed, you can use a cotton swab to reach the deepest grooves and ridges on clear aligners.
If your retainer is stinky or needs a deeper clean, soak it in distilled water with some baking soda or a squirt of castile soap.
DO NOT BOIL YOUR RETAINER IN HOT WATER! It will deform from the heat.