About Your Retainers
What Do They Do?
Retainers are as important a part of your orthodontic treatment as brackets, bands, and wires. Due to the physiologic forces that are always present in your mouth, teeth have a tendency to move. Your retainers are the only thing that stand between your orthodontic result and the return of your teeth to their original uncorrected positions. Retainers are to hold your teeth until the bone and soft tissue surrounding your teeth have a chance to adapt to the new positions of your teeth.
What Do They Look Like?
Retainers come in many different forms. Your particular retainers have been chosen specifically for your individual needs. During the course of your active retention period, we will monitor your teeth regularly to insure that they remain in their positions. As time goes on, your retention needs may change, and we may change your retainers accordingly.
Wearing Your Retainers
Your retainers should be worn exactly as instructed. When you initially receive your retainers, they should be worn 24 hours a day, except when eating and brushing your teeth, unless instructed otherwise. Wearing time may be reduced throughout the the active treatment period as your individual retention needs dictate. Your retainers should be cleaned daily; and every time you brush your teeth, you should also brush your retainers, using toothpaste or mouthwash. Denture cleaners (Polident/Efferdent) may also be used occasionally, in addition to brushing if necessary. Your retainers should never be placed into anything hotter that you would put your hands into. Never place your retainers into any solution that is soapy or any other chemicals, as the retainers will absorb a small amount of solution, resulting in the retainers acquiring the taste and smell of the solution and possibly resulting in tissue irritation. Should your retainers ever become lost or broken, please contact us immediately so that arrangements can be made to have them replaced or repaired.
Some Things to Expect
Like anything new, a period of adjustment is natural and to be expected. It is normal for you to experience some soreness in your teeth for the first few days. however, the more consistently you wear your retainers, the sooner you can expect to adjust to them. In a few days, you won’t even know you are wearing them!
Replacement
Your treatment fee includes one set of retainers and 24 months of post-treatment retention observation. Your retainers have been designed to last, with good care, for many years. There is a fee for the replacement of retainers either lost or broken due to negligence on the part of the patient.
AND...
Now that you have your braces removed, the responsibility of maintaining your beautiful smile is yours. Remember, your retainers are the tools you need to keep your teeth straight - wear them and keep smiling!!! We recommend that you visit your dentist regularly -- at least twice a year -- to maintain good dental health. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to call us!
Click here to read more about why you need retainers.
George H. Nahas, D.D.S.
Thomas J. Donahue, D.M.D.
