Maintaining Your Beautiful New Smile
Getting braces is a lot easier than it used to be — but that doesn’t mean you want to go through it twice. After you get your braces off, your teeth may begin to shift out of alignment. The goal of retainers is to prevent this.
When you complete your treatment with braces, your mouth is still pliable, and your gums, bone, and muscle need to adjust to the new positioning of your teeth. Retainers stabilize the results of your braces by keeping your teeth in the correct position.
Types of Retainers
Your retainer is custom-made to hold your teeth in place. Dr. Adams features different types of retainers depending on what’s best for your smile.
Traditional Removable Retainers
This type of retainer consists of a metal wire that surrounds the front teeth and it’s attached to an acrylic arch that sits on the roof of the mouth. Traditional removable retainers can be adjusted as we continue to make minor corrections as needed.
Aligner-Style Retainers
Also called Essix retainers, this type of retainer looks similar to clear aligners. As such, aligner-style retainers blend in more naturally with your smile. This retainer may fit over your entire arch or only from canine to canine.
Fixed Retainers
Fixed retainers consist of wires bonded to your teeth. You won’t have to worry about removing this type of retainer. A fixed retainer is usually required for no more than a year after your braces are removed.
Should You Get a Fixed or Removable Retainer?
Choosing the right retainer can make a world of difference in your post-braces care. Wearing your retainer is important to keep your teeth healthy and prevent them from shifting out of place.
Removable retainers can be taken out in order to eat and clean your teeth. The downside of this is that they can be lost and you must keep track of your retainer, making sure to wear it for the proper amount of time each day.
Fixed retainers can’t be removed, so you don’t have to worry about losing them. But fixed retainers also require extra attention during your oral hygiene routine. Patients with fixed retainers often use floss threaders to clean the area around them.
Learn More About Retainers
For more information about our retainers and what they can do for your smile, contact our office at (570) 675-1138. You can also fill out the easy contact form on this page, and we’ll get back to you right away.