Once your bite is corrected and your beautiful smile is achieved, your braces are removed.  The next step is called retention. Retainers are essential to hold your teeth in their new position until your bone, gums, and muscles adapt to the new position.  Wearing your retainers as instructed is necessary, otherwise your teeth may move toward their original positions and the benefit of wearing your braces will be lost.

Please wear your retainers!

The retention period is an important part of your overall treatment and should not be neglected!  In general, we inform patients to wear their retainers at nighttime only. Retainer wear should become a part of your nightly routine.  Research has shown that retainers should be worn at least one night a week forever if you want to ensure that there will be no tooth movement.

Clean your retainers on a daily basis. After meals, clean all parts of the retainer with a brush. When you wake up in the morning, brush your retainer, rinse it off, and keep it in your retainer case. Do not take it to school – it could get lost or broken!

Retainers are easy to lose if not handled with care. If you take your retainers out, always place them in your retainer case for safety. The number one cause of broken retainers is PETS!  Make sure your retainers are always in your retainer case when they are not in your mouth and that the retainer case is where your pets cannot get to it.

If for any reason your retainers don’t feel comfortable or are not fitting right, please call our office immediately.  The sooner we can evaluate the problem the easier and quicker the fix. If a problem with your retainer is not addressed quickly, movement may occur and a new retainer may be needed.