Care for Your Retainers
Congrats on your new smile! Our team has enjoyed getting to know you and helping you achieve your smile objectives. Despite the fact that your teeth are straight and your bite is healthy, your treatment is not complete. The retention phase of orthodontic treatment is crucial to maintaining your new, beautiful smile. Retainers assist in holding your teeth in their final positions. In the absence of retainers, they might shift.
Bonded Retainer
Taking Care Of Your Bonded Retainer
Wire or bonded retainers are used to stabilize the positions of your front teeth after they have been treated. For the first two years after treatment, Dr. Varun recommends the wire retainers remain in place because the teeth are most likely to relapse during this time. Following this time, the bone has grown around the roots of the teeth, and they are now more stable in their new positions.
Preventing Bonded Retainer Breakages
You should avoid biting directly into crunchy or hard foods. Bagel, pizza crust, and sticky foods can break the retainer. Flossing should be done with caution, as pulling on the bonded retainers aggressively can break them.
In The Absence Of A Bonded Retainer
During your first six months after completing your orthodontic treatment, you must wear your removable retainer full time if you do not have a bonded retainer. In other words, you should wear your retainers for approximately 22 hours a day, only taking them out to eat or brush your teeth. Following six months of excellent retention, you will be instructed to wear them every night while sleeping.
Removable Retainers
- With a toothbrush and cold water, brush your retainers gently in the morning and at bedtime.
- Be sure to keep your retainers out of the reach of your pets. Pets love chewing on them.
- Whenever you are not wearing your retainers, they MUST be kept in your retainer case. The most common way they are broken is by being in your pocket, purse, or backpack.
- Avoid putting your retainers in the dishwasher, hot water, or near anything hot.
- Avoid chewing gum when wearing retainers.
- Avoid soaking retainers in mouthwash.
- Make sure you always wear your retainers to appointments.
- Be sure to write a phone number and your name on your retainer box so that if it does get lost, someone will be able to get it back to you.
- Place a retainer in your mouth and push it into place with your fingers. If it’s not lined up with your teeth properly, your bite muscles are so strong that they could crack it or bend it.
How Long Are Retainers Worn?
Maintaining your straightened teeth is as important as the orthodontic treatment you received! Maintaining your smile with retainers prevents your teeth from shifting back to their original position. You can prevent your teeth from moving for the rest of your life by wearing a retainer. According to studies, the teeth of patients who do not wear retainers tend to move. Nevertheless, you may reduce your retainer wear over time so that you wear them at least a couple of times per week at night a year after the treatment has been finished. When your retainers feel tight, wear them more often (a tight fit of a retainer is an indication that your teeth are starting to shift).
