Orthodontic Retention

Keep Your Smile Beautiful!

You’re braces are off! To keep your great new smile, you’ll have to wear a retainer to control potential changes and hold teeth in their correct alignment.

Types of Retainers

Retainers are custom-made to fit your mouth. They can be removable or fixed in place.

 

Traditional Removable Retainers

Retainers usually include a metal wire that surrounds the front teeth that’s attached to an acrylic arch placed in the roof of the mouth. The metal wires can be adjusted to continue minor movement of the front teeth.

Aligner-Style Retainers

An aesthetic alternative to wire retainers, this clear retainer fits over the entire arch of your teeth or only from canine to canine.

Fixed Retainers

Bonded wires placed behind the bottom and/or top teeth. While the device is usually required no more than a year after wisdom teeth have been extracted, it is often kept in place for life.

Pros

Removable retainers can be taken out for eating and hygiene routines.

A fixed retainer is great if you don’t want to keep track of it or care to worry about how long it must be worn each day.

 

Cons

Removable retainers can get lost easily, so remember to keep yours safe.

Teeth with fixed retainers require a little extra attention for cleaning.