Orthodontic Retention

You've worked hard for your beautiful smile... Let's keep it that way!

Congratulations on completing your active treatment!   To keep your smile looking its best, you'll have to wear a retainer to preserve and stabilize your results.  Maintaining your results is a long term process.

 

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 as needed, and can even continue minor movement of the front teeth as necessary.
• Clear retainers, or Essix retainers, look similar to clear aligners and offer an aesthetic alternative to wire retainers.
• Fixed retainers consist of wires bonded behind the bottom and/or top teeth.

Pros and Cons

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