retention
Removable Retainers
Your retainers should be worn at all times with the exception of eating and brushing your teeth. Your retainer should also be removed when participating in sports that require a mouth guard or while swimming. After 12 months of full-time wear, we may revise your retention treatment, allowing the retainer to strictly be worn at night.
Your final orthodontic result depends on your retainers, so follow through with the hard work you’ve put in so far.
Bonded Retainers
Bonded lingual retainers are cemented directly to the inside surface of your lower canines (eye teeth). This is one of the best ways to prevent your lower teeth from shifting as it is permanently attached. Patients with bonded lingual retainers must be careful with their bite as the bonding material may break due to incorrect biting and cause teeth to shift quickly. As with removable retainers, it is important to keep them clean. When brushing, make sure to carefully clean the inside of your lower teeth as well as the wire.
RETAINERS…DO I REALLY NEED TO WEAR THEM FOR GOOD?
Unless you had too much fun the first round and want to repeat the whole orthodontic process all over again, the answer is, yes.
Retainers are necessary and a lifetime commitment. Teeth continue to move and shift overtime as we age. Teeth are held in place by bone and ligaments. Ligaments have a memory and often want to return to their original position. Other forces that apply pressure to the teeth can cause shifting including: chewing, clenching, nail biting, outward pressure of the tongue and inward pressure of the lips. However long you want to keep your teeth aligned, that’s the length of time you wear a retainer. In short, this means they should be going with you when you check into the nursing home.
