Why Do We Recommend A Retainer?
Are you getting ready to end your journey wearing braces? Congratulations on completing treatment! There are few times more exciting than the day when you get your braces removed. The day that you can look in the mirror and see your beautiful, straight smile is what patients with braces dream of for the entire length of treatment. Not to quickly put a damper on your excitement, but your journey towards straight teeth is not yet over. Braces being removed is the end of what is considered the active period of treatment. You are now moving into the retention period, which involves the use of a retainer to hold the teeth in place.
Why Use a Retainer?
Teeth love to move and shift out of place. We would hate for everything you went through wearing braces to go to waste. A retainer is meant to help the muscles and tissue in the mouth hold the teeth and help them set in their new place. Immediately after braces are removed, we recommend wearing a retainer as much as possible while the bones, gums, and muscles adapt to their new positions. The length of time a retainer will be needed varies with each patient and some may need a permanent retainer attached.
Caring for a Retainer
Because you wear a retainer all day, it is in contact with the same bacteria as your mouth. It is extremely important that you clean your retainer using a soft toothbrush and toothpaste. Do not forget to clean the case as well. Speaking of a retainer case, be sure to place your retainers in a case whenever you remove them from your mouth. Never wrap them in a tissue or napkin. That is a surefire way for your retainers to get thrown out. It is also important to be sure you do not use any harsh chemicals to clean your retainers, and be sure to keep them away from extreme heat and boiling water.
If you have any questions about how to care for your retainer, your retainer breaks, or you lose your retainer, contact our office located in Kewaskum, WI as soon as possible. We want to be sure that your teeth remain straight as an arrow!