Retainers
Your beautiful new smile is meant to last a lifetime. Wearing your retainer is how you ensure that!
After braces or clear aligner treatment, you’ll start wearing your custom retainer to lock in your results.
What does a retainer do?
Your retainer plays the key role of holding your teeth in their new positions to prevent them from ‘relapsing’. When your braces are removed, or you take your clear aligners out for the last time, your teeth are susceptible to ‘orthodontic relapse’ (reverting back to their original, pre-treatment positions.)
Your new smile requires a period of retention to ensure that it stabilizes and maintains the new alignment.
How long will I wear a retainer after braces or clear aligners?
It’s best to wear your retainer day and night for the first six months of retention, while your teeth are most susceptible to relapsing. Then, you can switch to wearing your retainer at night only.
Teeth have a natural tendency to shift throughout life, so don’t let your retainer sit collecting dust in a drawer! Wear it consistently every night to preserve your smile’s beautiful new alignment for years and decades to come.
Types of retainers
There are two types of retainers, removable retainers and fixed retainers.
Removable retainers
Removable retainers are made of transparent high-quality plastic, similar to clear aligners. We create our own clear retainers, in-house, with our advanced 3D printer! Clear retainers are custom-designed to fit your teeth snugly, and they come in sets – with one retainer for the top teeth and one for the bottom.
Fixed retainers
Fixed retainers, or permanent retainers, are bonded (glued) to your teeth and cannot be removed without your orthodontist. These retainers include a small metal wire, custom-designed to fit behind the teeth. They’re generally bonded to the back surface of the bottom teeth, but can also be used behind the top teeth depending on your case.
Retainer Do’s and Don’ts
DO
- Do put your retainer in your retainer case every time you remove it from your mouth.
- Do clean your retainer every time you brush your teeth. You can use a mild dish soap and an extra soft-bristled toothbrush to clean your retainer.
- Do clean your retainer case regularly. You want your clean retainer to be placed back in a clean carrying case every time. You can use a mild soap and lukewarm water to wash your retainer case daily, or at least a few times a week.
- Do soak your retainer in a retainer cleaning solution (like RetainerBrite) to disinfect your retainer a few times a week.
- Do clean your retainer before and after placing it in the mouth. Because the material used for fabrication is slightly porous, plaque tends to cling to the surfaces. Be sure to rinse the retainers thoroughly after cleaning to remove any cleanser or soap residue.
DO NOT
- Do not expose your retainers to heat! Your retainer can melt or warp and become ineffective, so it’s important that you do not put them in the dishwasher, use hot water on them, or leave them in your car.
- Do not leave your retainer around your pets. You don’t want to find out how much they love chewing retainers!
How much does a retainer cost?
Your initial set of retainers will be included in your orthodontic treatment cost!
However, if you happen to lose or break your retainer, there will be a replacement fee. If this happens, please reach out to us asap. We want you to have a new retainer as soon as possible to prevent your teeth from shifting out of place and jeopardizing your hard work.
When you’re transitioning into the retention phase of your treatment, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about retainer wear and care!
