Guide to orthodontic retainers to make your treatment successful

Dentists recommend their patients to wear retainers just when an orthodontic treatment completes. Wearing retainers are crucial for almost every orthodontic patient to maintain successful results achieved through the treatment. When dentists or orthodontists recommend patients to wear Retainers it obviously makes the later a little worried because they know nothing about retainers. What are the different options in retainers they have and which retainers they should use are the few things they keep wondering about in their mind. Let us discuss all those queries in the following sections of this blog post so that when the time comes you can take an informed decision easily. But first let us start from the basics – what is a retainer for the teeth and why is it necessary?

What is a retainer for the teeth? Why wearing retainers is important?

Retainers are getting used appliances in orthodontic dentistry. Orthodontic procedures or treatments are correct the alignment of teeth. Retainers are basically devices that keep the properly positioned teeth (achieved through the treatment) in their correct or ideal positions after completion of an orthodontic treatment. The teeth have a natural tendency to keep moving their positions even as we attained adulthood and may complete an orthodontic procedure or the other.     

There is a belief among a large number of men and women that the teeth have memory because they show the tendency to return their initial position. Considering this truth it is more crucial to wear suitable retainers on the teeth irrespective of the orthodontic procedure that you have undergone. There is no specific time frame for this to happen and the shifting of the teeth may occur any time even several years after completing a treatment. Therefore your age is not a factor to consider whether you need retainers or not explains a dentist possessing years of experience in dealing with removable orthodontic retainer in London.   

In other words, you can say an orthodontic procedure does not stop even when the braces are removed from your teeth once and for all. This is true for every procedure that comes under the category of orthodontic dentistry. The third and final stage of any orthodontic treatment or procedure is switching over to these retainers. As a matter of fact the first two stages of any orthodontic treatment are much talked about, which are the diagnosis and the active phase of treatment. But as far as the last and the final stage of the treatment is concerned which involves wearing retainers to the teeth is hardly discussed or talked about by people.

Different options in retainers

There are two types of orthodontic retainers for you to choose from – fixed and removable. The fixed retainers are also called permanent retainers. Our dentist or orthodontist is the best person to consult with when it comes to choosing your retainers. Let us now quickly go through the two different retainer types.

• Fixed or permanent retainers – A retainer belonging to this category is basically a metal wire which is placed behind your teeth from canine to canine along both the upper and the lower arches of the mouth. A permanent retainer remains completely out of sight and is not visible from outside. Getting used to this range of retainers usually takes a few days. It is important to mention that since this variety of device comprises only of an ultra thin wire, there is no pain or discomfort associated with it. On the whole a fixed or permanent retainer makes the retention phase of any orthodontic procedure quite pleasant and free of hassles. Once the tongue gets used to the feel of the retainer it becomes difficult for the person to remember that he or she is wearing fixed retainers to the teeth explains a dentist having wide experience in handling cases with removable orthodontic braces and retainers over the years.

On the downside flossing the teeth is difficult when you are on permanent or fixed retainers and this is because the device remains attached to the back of the teeth. Considering this difficulty patients who are on these fixed retainers need to undergo professional dental cleaning every six months to a year to maintain optimum oral hygiene and keep cavities and gum disease at bay.

• Removable retainers – As the name implies this range of the devices is easily removable from the teeth and thus it proves advantageous using these retainers over their fixed counterparts. These retainers are meant to be taken out of the mouth while brushing and flossing the teeth as well as while eating. In other words with removable retainers, it is easy and effortless to maintain optimum oral hygiene day in and day out. Your mouth also gets used to this range of retainers much quicker compared to the fixed ones. Especially if you have been on removable orthodontic appliances like invisalign then getting accustomed with this variety of retainers is even easier.

If there is flip side in this range of post-treatment devices then it is that you may forget to wear those back every time. You should wear these teeth-retaining devices correctly and for the stipulated number of hours as your dentist has recommended. You should always be careful while taking out these removable orthodontic appliances before a meal or a snack and keep it safely to avoid any accidental damage or misplacement. The best thing is to leave the devices in their box every time when you are not using those.   

Some of the popular varieties of removable retainers include the following –

• Hawley retainers – These are basically removable variety of retainers and are made up of hooks; these hooks are placed on the teeth whereas a wire binds the hooks from outer side of the teeth. This range of retainers covers up the entire palate or ceiling of the mouth to put a check on unwanted movement of the teeth as well as bite alteration.
• Removable clear retainers – This version of the device offers greater convenience and is steadily rising in demand. Just like removable aligners like Invisalign you can easily take out this retainer to brush and floss the teeth properly to ensure optimum oral hygiene.  

As far as the UK is concerned, the cost of removable retainers ranges from £60 to £200 each device. Fixed retainers are little costlier and comes within the range of £100 to £400 a piece at 1A Orthodontics, London.