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Orthodontic Retainers Bend
How to Keep Your New Smile Looking Great
Finally, your braces have been removed, and your smile is beautiful, straight, and best of all, metal-free! However, your orthodontic journey isn't quite completed. To keep your smile looking its best, you'll need to wear an orthodontic retainer in Bend to preserve and stabilize your results. Retainers are needed to control or limit potential changes in tooth position. They are used after braces treatment to hold teeth in their correct alignment while the surrounding gums, bone, and muscle adjust to the new positioning of your teeth.
Why Choose Struble Orthodontics for Retainers?
- In-Office 3D Printer for Custom, Quickly-Delivered Solutions
- Three Skilled, Board-Certified Orthodontists on Staff
- Personalized Treatment Solutions for Patients of All Ages
Types of Retainers
Retainers are custom-made and can be removable or fixed.
- Traditional removable retainers typically include a metal wire that surrounds the front teeth and is attached to an acrylic arch that sits in the roof of the mouth. The metal wires can be adjusted to finish treatment and continue minor movement of the front teeth as needed.
- Aligner-style retainers, or Essix retainers, look similar to clear aligners and offer a more aesthetic alternative to wire retainers. This clear retainer may fit over the entire arch of your teeth, or only from canine to canine (clip-on retainer). It is produced from a mold of your newly aligned teeth.
- Fixed retainers consist of wires bonded behind the bottom and/or top teeth. This device is usually kept in place as long as possible to help maintain your tooth alignment. Occasionally, these do need to be removed in the future if hygiene is not being maintained. We will teach you how to properly care for and maintain these fixed retainers.
Pros and Cons of Different Types of Retainers
- Removable retainers can be taken out for eating and hygiene routines.
- Removable retainers can get lost easily, so remember to keep yours in the case whenever you remove it to eat or brush.
- A fixed retainer is great if you don't want to keep track of it, or if you don't want to worry about how many hours per day it must be worn.
- Teeth with fixed retainers require a little extra attention to remove tartar while flossing. Patients with fixed retainers often must use floss threaders to pass dental floss through the small spaces between the retainer and the teeth.
Retainers FAQs
Why Do I Need to Wear a Retainer?
Following your orthodontic treatment, your teeth need some time to “set” into their new positions. That’s where retainers come in! Wearing yours as directed will help prevent orthodontic relapse (the phenomenon where teeth begin to drift out of alignment again), preserving your hard-earned results in the process.
How Often Should I Wear My Retainer?
Typically, patients are asked to wear their retainer in Bend for at least 20 hours a day in the weeks immediately following their orthodontic treatment. However, this is just a temporary measure to help your teeth settle into their ideal places. After that, you should get the green light to transition to wearing yours only at night.
How Do I Clean My Retainer?
Good news: you don’t need any expensive cleaning products to keep your retainer in pristine condition. If you have a fixed retainer, then use floss threaders or an interproximal toothbrush to remove food particles, plaque, and other debris. If your retainer is removable, then you can use a damp, soft-bristled toothbrush to keep it clean.
Can I Eat or Drink with My Retainer In?
If you have a removable retainer, then you should take it out before eating or drinking anything other than water. Not only will this reduce the likelihood of your appliance breaking, but it will also prevent food particles and sugary liquids from getting trapped between your teeth and the retainer, increasing your chances of tooth decay in the process.
What Should I Do If My Retainer Breaks?
To help prolong the lifespan of your retainers, our team at Struble Orthodontics will share helpful tips, like avoiding crunchy foods with a fixed appliance and placing a removable one in its designated case anytime it’s removed. With that said, accidents sometimes happen. Whether there is a small chip on the surface or they have shattered into multiple pieces, the best thing to do is to give our Redmond or Bend orthodontic office a call. The sooner you do, the sooner we can begin the process of having yours repaired or replaced.
How Long Will I Need to Wear My Retainer?
It’s best to make wearing your retainer a lifelong habit. We recommend this because upwards of 50% of patients experience orthodontic relapse in the years following their time with braces. A habit as simple as wearing yours each night while you sleep can dramatically reduce the chances of that happening to you.