What You Should Know About Dental Retainers!

 After you've completed your orthodontic treatment with braces or Invisalign, you'll need to wear a retainer. It's the only method to keep your results for the rest of your life. We guarantee that after you see how great your new smile looks, it won't seem like such a huge issue. Today, we'll discuss why you might need a retainer after braces or Invisalign, as well as the many types of retainers and how to care for them.

Why Do I Need To Wear a Retainers After Braces or Invisalign?

The active phase of your orthodontic treatment is when you're actually wearing braces or Invisalign and your teeth are shifting into place. When it's finished, you'll go onto the retention phase, which involves wearing a retainer. During the active phase, your braces or aligners apply consistent, mild pressure to your teeth, stimulating the bone remodeling process. The bone and tissue that support the teeth break down during bone remodeling, allowing the teeth to shift in the desired direction. The teeth have a natural propensity to shift back to where they were when the pressure is removed (i.e., when your braces are removed or when you stop using your aligners).

A retainer keeps your teeth from moving by retaining them in their new places until the bone and tissue tighten and your new smile is locked in place. Furthermore, teeth drift as part of the natural ageing process, and a retainer can help to prevent this. A relapse will occur if you do not wear a retainer after braces or Invisalign. So, how long must you wear your retainer? Typically, you'll only wear it full-time for a brief length of time before switching to nighttime use. You'll only have to use it a few evenings a week eventually.

Types Of Retainers

After your braces have been removed, orthodontists may recommend one of three types of retainers. Both types are used to restrict your teeth from moving and to permanently fix them in their new position.

Bonded Retainer

The first is known as a bonded retainer. After your braces are removed, it is connected to your teeth to keep them in place for the first few months after treatment.

If you need to wear your retainer at all times as a result of orthodontic treatment, a bonded retainer is recommended.

Hawley Retainer

The removable retainer is the second type of retainer. Hawley retainers, sometimes known as wire retainers, can be removed for cleaning and meal preparation.

Because you have a removable retainer, it is still critical that you wear it and follow your orthodontist's recommendations.

Clear Plastic Retainer

The third sort of retainer is one that can be removed. It's also known as a moulded retainer since it's made to perfectly conform to and fit the changing location of your teeth.

Clear plastic retainers have been increasingly popular in recent years due to their near-invisibility and increased likelihood of use. This is not the same as Invisalign, which is used to straighten teeth rather than prevent them from sliding out of place.

Follow your orthodontist's instructions for wearing and using your braces.

Happy Smile!