Every person going through orthodontic treatment needs to wear retainers after braces have been removed to help prevent the teeth from falling back to their original position by holding teeth in a particular position while allowing surrounding gums, muscles and bones to adjust. Retainers are for a lifetime! should be worn every night initially and ideally a few nights a week after a certain period determined by the orthodontist. There are two types of retainers, fixed or removable and they come in different form as you can see in videos below.
There is usually a slight change in speech only for the first 1-2 days once one starts wearing retainers.
Removable retainers should be kept in a case to protect them when not used. Many people will have extra saliva in their mouth during the first few days of retainer use. This is natural and is due to the presence of a new object inside the mouth and consequent stimulation of the saliva glands.
Removal Of Braces
Bonded Wire retainer
Teeth can move back after orthodontic treatment. A bonded wire retainer will hold them in place permanently. A wire is bonded to the back of the front lower or upper teeth. The bonding material is cured with a bright light.
Bonded Fibre Retainer
After Orthodontic treatment, teeth can start to move back. A bonded fibre retainer will hold them in place permanently. A strip of fibreglass is bonded to the back of the front lower or upper teeth.The bonding material is cured with a bright light. The material is tooth coloured so it doesn’t show.
Hawley Retainer
Vacuum Formed Retainer
After a fixed appliance has correctly positioned the teeth a custom made retainer is produced. Retainers are utilized to hold your teeth in their new positions until your bone, gums, and muscles adapt to the new teeth positions. You must wear your retainer as instructed, otherwise your teeth may move toward their original positions and the benefit of wearing your braces will be lost.