What are Retainers and a helpful Retainer guide at Dental House Dublin

Orthodontic Treatment – the importance of retention

The use of long-term retention after orthodontic treatment can be considered more or less mandatory regardless of the nature of your treatment or the nature of your malocclusion (incorrect positioning of your teeth when your jaws are closed). They will allow your teeth and gums to further stabilize around your new tooth alignment and RETAIN your results.

What follows is a brief description of the retainers and a simple guide on how to care for them:

what are retainers

What are retainers?

Retainers are custom-made appliances consisting of a plastic base and metal wires that cover the outside of your teeth helping to retain the results of orthodontic treatment.

You will be advised to wear their retainers day and night (except when eating or cleaning teeth) for the first six months after your braces are removed.

After this six month period, you may switch to night-time wear, insuring that you follow your orthodontist’s recommendations.

In some cases, your orthodontic needs may be minor and your orthodontist may decide that a retainer alone will be sufficient to solve your problem. You may have a retainer without braces, but you cannot have braces without a retainer. Your teeth will continue to shift after your braces come off, as the bones, muscles, and gums adjust to the changes. Retain your smile and wear your retainer.

It is also important to clean your retainer regularly to remove plaque, which can promote gum disease. The best time to do this is when you take it out to brush your teeth. There are commercial retainer cleaners available, but toothpaste and a soft-bristle toothbrush will do the job in most cases.