Is Wearing a Retainer Important After Getting Braces?

Keep reading to know why and how you need to comply with your orthodontist’s instructions many years after your treatment ends.

Do Teeth Relapse or Move Back to Their Original Position After Braces?

Yes, your teeth do try to move back to their original positions after your braces treatment. When you undergo any type of orthodontic treatment, you are stretching and softening the bones and tissue supporting your teeth. It’s only natural that once you take your braces off, they try to pull back to where they once were.

Given enough time, the surrounding dental structure will become more dense again and set in place, no longer fighting to shift to its previous position. This process tends to be faster for younger patients with faster metabolisms. That’s why orthodontists recommend you get treatment as young as possible. For this to happen, however, you first need to hold the results in place. This is where orthodontic retainers come in.

What Are Orthodontic Retainers?

Orthodontic retainers are a type of orthodontic appliance whose main goal is to keep your teeth in place. The device goes inside your mouth, fitting snuggly over your lower or upper row of teeth. Your orthodontist will recommend them to you after treatment so that you can maintain that perfect smile that you worked so hard for.

The last thing you want after months of Invisalign treatment is to lose your results in a matter of months. Because of this, orthodontists often consider retainers the most important part of your orthodontic treatment. It’s in your best interest to follow your orthodontist’s instructions on retainers as closely as possible if you dont want to have to start again.

How Long Do You Have to Wear Retainers After Braces?

If you want to avoid any type of dental shifting throughout your lifetime after going through orthodontic treatment, you’ll have to use a retainer for the rest of your life. However, there’s no need to panic. You’ll only have to wear your retainers during both day and night during the first six months after treatment. After that, your orthodontist will most likely give you the green light to only wear your retainer at night.

You might be asking yourself why you should use retainers for your entire life if we mentioned earlier that the structures that hold your teeth would eventually set into place, no longer trying to shift back. The answer is just everyday living. Your teeth will naturally start moving over the years because of the constant wear on them. Even if you never went through treatment, your teeth may shift significantly as you grow older if you don’t have any way of keeping them in place.

How Much Are Orthodontic Retainers?

The cost of an orthodontic retainer will vary significantly depending on whether it’s a removable retainer or a fixed retainer, as well as the materials used in its making. Generally speaking, each retainer, out of the initial one included in the treatment plan, could cost you anywhere between $250 to $750.

The amount spent usually will only go higher as many patients either break or lose their first removable retainers pretty easily. While permanent retainers usually don’t have that problem, they sometimes do require some intervention.

Here at Smile Health Orthodontics, we offer you our Retainer Insurance Program for those who need to wear retainers after treatment but know that they will probably need more than one throughout their lifetime. With our Retainer Insurance Program, you get access to one custom-made retainer every year in case you break or lose your retainer.

The retainer insurance program covers you for 5 years assuring you a beautiful smile with straight teeth. Get replacement retainers for a small co-pay whenever you need. Program may be renewed every 5 years.

You can join the program and get your permanent or removable retainer in a bundle with your orthodontic treatment, or you can join it separately if you already had treatment at another office.

What Type of Retainer Is Best After Braces?

There are multiple types of retainers that will fit different lifestyles best. All of them are very effective at retaining your teeth, so there is no real reason for you to worry about each one’s effectiveness.

Here are a few aspects that you should take into consideration when choosing your retainer type.

If you know that you’ll most likely forget about using your retainers or think you may lose them, a permanent retainer may be best for you. You won’t have to worry about following a schedule, but you will have to make sure to brush it properly after eating to maintain proper oral hygiene.

The most common retainers are the clear retainers very similar to how the SHO clear aligners look". there is also the classic metal wire retainers known as the Hawley retainer, it has acrylic on the palate side making it sometimes difficult to speak while wearing it. Lastly there is the permanent retainer that is bonded to the back of the front teeth. This one is not recommended too often by Dr Solomon as it could become a plaque trap and some patients can develop periodontal issues or collapse of the arch in the posterior.

Clear retainers have the obvious benefit of being less noticeable, as they are practically invisible. However, they do tend to wear out faster than classic metal retainers.

Start Your Orthodontic Treatment With Us

If you are looking to start treatments such as Los Angeles ceramic braces or require Los Angeles Orthodontics Emergencies Treatment, just contact us here. Here at Smile Health Orthodontics, we are happy to offer you in-house, virtual, and in-office consultation whenever you need one. Just click here and schedule your appointment today!