Orthodontic Retention

The day you get your braces removed is a time to celebrate. You finally get to have the smile you have always dreamed about having. However, your journey is not over yet. To ensure you achieve a straight and beautiful smile, you will have to wear a retainer for several months. A retainer will prevent your teeth from moving as your surrounding bone and gums adjust to the new positioning of your teeth.

Here are a few types of retainers you can choose from:

Removal Retainers

Removal retainers consist of a metal wire that surrounds the front teeth and is joined to an acrylic arch that is placed in the roof of your mouth. The most obvious benefit of these retainers is that you can easily remove them when you eat or tend to your oral hygiene routine. It is much easier to complete these tasks when you don’t have a retainer in the way.

However, removal retainers also come with a few disadvantages. For one thing, they can get misplaced and damaged when not in your mouth. You must remember to put your retainer back in your mouth as soon as you are finished eating or brushing and flossing. If you do not wear your retainers on a consistent basis, your teeth may shift back into their original position.

Fixed Retainers

Fixed retainers have wire that’s bonded to the inside of your front teeth to prevent them from moving. These retainers can only be removed by an orthodontist, so you do not have to worry about losing or damaging them. You also do not have to keep track of how many hours a day you wear these retainers.

With fixed retainers, however, it may be more challenging to maintain your oral hygiene routine. You can’t remove the retainers, so you may have trouble brushing and flossing your teeth thoroughly. These retainers are also more likely to irritate your tongue.

Align-Style Retainers

Align-style retainers are made from a mold of your newly aligned teeth and invisible. No one will notice that you are wearing these retainers unless you tell them. They are also less bulky, making them more comfortable to wear than traditional retainers. 

One of the downsides of align-style retainers is that they can’t be adjusted if you require a realignment. You would have to replace them. These retainers can also affect your speech more than traditional retainers.