The Need to Get Retainers After Braces

For well-aligned teeth, braces are needed which may last for more than a year or until the problem is corrected. But after this is removed and to keep the teeth straight, people ought to wear retainers. As you know, teeth may easily drift back to their original state or position without these retainers.

What are they for specifically? You see, these appliances help to hold the teeth in their corrected or new placements until the bones grow around the teeth to stabilize them. Since teeth happen to shift periodically as you grow, wearing retainers may be a lifetime requirement yet it still depends on what the dentist’s verdict is about the condition of your teeth after every check up. Dentist may recommend that you either wear a permanent appliance in the mouth or the removable one. You can find retainers to be made out of plastic or a mixed of plastic and metal wire. What’s more, you can choose from a variety of designs and colors, making the selection and their use an engaging process. Case in point, you can personalize the retainers with various logos and images as well as some identification tags in case of loss.

Retainers along with braces and other orthodontic appliances are categorized as medical devices and are therefore regulated by the state department of food and drugs. This is to ensure that the function and effectiveness of each appliance are not compromised and can give you the most advantage. If you have any concerns regarding the use and effects of the retainers, you can discuss them with your dentist. Overall, retainers are known to work for people who only need minor correction or for someone who had braces and who wants to avert teeth shifting in the process.

The Types of Retainers

After removing your braces, your dentist may recommend that you wear retainers for a couple of months. It’s plain to see why, right? Retainers typically keep the positions of the newly-aligned teeth until they sit firmly in place. Sometimes known as a clasp, they contract the teeth and prevent them from moving against the supporting structures. You can find several retainer designs or types of retainers to choose from and some may even be tailor-made for you.

What are they? For one, there are the converted appliances which can be worn fully for about three months or until the teeth are stable, taking for up to half a year. You may pick the Hawley retainers which use a U-loop labial bow against the incisor. These standard wire retainers have acrylic frames which come in a variety of design and color. They can even be fine-tuned or adjusted by your orthodontist over time. Another retainer type that you can check out is the Begg retainer and can work in aligning your teeth without the molar clasps. For vacuum-formed retainers, they provide full-arch coverage, extending only from canine to canine. Next, bonded retainers work by getting the groups of teeth to bond near the palate. They may be completely or partially glued or cemented at the back of your teeth. The use of these retainers is designed for people who have the most severe case of misalignment, applying often on the lower teeth. Based on the condition of your teeth, the retainers may either be taken off overtime or stay in place permanently. Finally, you may pick the periodontal retainers that are made of non-metallic fiber strips for splinting the gums. These retainers are essentially designed to immobilize and align teeth that have been affected by acute or advanced periodontal disease.