Wearing retainers is one of the most important parts of your orthodontic treatment. Together we have worked hard to get your teeth into their best possible position. However, when braces are removed, the teeth have a tendency to want to return to their original positions. To prevent this from happening and to allow the teeth to adapt to their new positions, retainers must be worn faithfully.

Minor tooth movement occurs in every mouth throughout life, whether or not there has been prior orthodontic treatment. The most common area for change is in the lower front teeth. These changes are normal and may be greatly minimized or possibly eliminated by continued retainer wear on a long term basis.

After the initial stabilizing period, your retainers will need to be worn only at night. The length of time varies with each patient and depends on the relationship of your teeth. If the retainers are damaged or lost, there is an additional charge to replace them. If your retainers do not fit correctly or you are unable to wear them, please call the office immediately. Not wearing a retainer even for a short period of time may require a new retainer or possibly rebonding of the teeth at an additional cost.

Please bring your retainers to all of your retention appointments so we may check their fit and adjust them if necessary.

Types of Retainers

• Traditional removable retainers are made with colored acrylic and wire. You can choose from many colors and designs.
  
• Clear overlay retainers are small and easy to wear. They also protect the surfaces of your teeth if you have a grinding or clenching habit.
  

When the retainers are removed in the morning, please brush them carefully with your toothbrush and cold water. If plaque builds up on your retainer, please bring it in for us to clean. During the day please put the retainers in the case provided. If you have a cat or dog, please keep the retainers away from them even when they are in their case. Please do not put the retainers or retainer cases in the direct sunlight, boiling water or in the microwave to clean them. Do not chew gum with the retainers in!

• A bonded retainer is a small wire bonded (glued) to the tongue side of your lower and/or upper front teeth.

Care must be taken to try and avoid breaking the bonded retainer by watching what you bite into with your front teeth. Please do not bite into anything hard or chewy.

Each tooth is attached to the wire with a small pad of tooth-colored bonding material. Please inspect these bonds when you brush your teeth and call us immediately if one is missing or has come unattached from a tooth. Once a tooth comes unbonded it is free to move and often will do so. If this occurs, the bonded retainer may have to be removed and remade, resulting in additional charges. Please make sure to brush around the bonded retainer thoroughly twice a day to remove all visible plaque. It should also be flossed daily by using a floss threader as instructed in our office. If you ever choose to remove a bonded retainer, it should be replaced with a removable retainer that will be worn at night only.

Retention Phase

One of the most challenging aspects of orthodontics is to keep the teeth in place once the braces have been removed. We make every effort to place permanent retainers behind your upper and lower front teeth. We request that your wear your removable retainers every night forever. For some this might be three to four times a week and for others it might be once a week to check to see if any tooth movement has occurred.

Your retention fee includes the initial set of retainers and follow up visits for 1 year. After this time, patients with retainers should call us if their retainers need adjustment. If the retainers become lost, broken or do not fit properly, we urge you to call the office as soon as possible. Any additional services will be subject to our current fees at that time.

Following treatment you will have x-rays taken to evaluate your jaws, teeth, and the status of your wisdom teeth. We will check for pathology and evaluate the roots as well as bone. These x-rays will be sent to your dentist, who we encourage you to see as soon as possible after orthodontic treatment. The x-rays to check for cavities will be taken by your dentist as needed.